


Student of the Sun

by a_very_smol_frog



Series: The Crow's Nest [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Parents, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Depression, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Kid Fic, M/M, Oikawa Tooru is a Good Friend, Parenthood, Past Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Past Relationships, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Single Parents, Slow Burn, Tags Are Hard, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:08:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 72,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22357693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_very_smol_frog/pseuds/a_very_smol_frog
Summary: He knew it wasn’t going to be easy, he had barely made it out alive the first time, but he was a different man now. And with Hinata by his side he hoped that maybe, just maybe , he would be able to learn to love again.~~~Kageyama is a single father who escaped an abusive relationship. He starts to fall in love with his daughter’s kindergarten teacher when things take a turn for the worst. Can Hinata save him from his dark past?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: The Crow's Nest [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711909
Comments: 439
Kudos: 1553





	1. The First Day

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Sum of Its Parts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4773023) by [anonymouschupacabra (accordingtomyresearch)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/accordingtomyresearch/pseuds/anonymouschupacabra). 



> So I would like to say first and foremost that I have not written anything that wasn't a research paper in a long long long time. I recently got into this fandom and have been wanting to write something for it for awhile. I love fics that have a Single Dad Kageyama and this idea has been in my head for awhile. Right now the plan is for this to be a longish fic but if I have learned anything it is that plans very rarely go the way they are suppose to. I really really really like this idea and I want to finish it, but in the past I have found that I lose motivation easily. I am hoping that by posting this here, instead of trying to write it all out and then posting it, I will keep my motivation so that you all can get a finished story. I'm not going to promise a scheduled time for an update because I know I will just fail. I am going to work my hardest to finish this and not leave anyone wanting more.
> 
> Please please please if you have any constructive criticism, suggestions, or comments please leave them. Feedback from you all will help keep my eye on the prize and assure that I (finally) finish a fic for the first time in my life. There will be sad chapters and smut eventually in this fic. I will try and post warnings before each chapter so if you want to skip them you can. Just be prepared because I kind of plan on hurting Kageyama a lot.... (but dont worry because Hinata will snuggle him and everything will be okay in the end). 
> 
> Ok end of my rambling! Please enjoy the first chapter!
> 
> This fic is now available in [Russian!](https://ficbook.net/readfic/10033492/25816111) Thank you so much [Darknessa27](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darknessa27/pseuds/Darknessa27) for taking the time to translate my fic so that it is available to more readers <3

Kageyama always set his alarm for 30 minutes before he needed to be up. Those 30 minutes were the only time during the day that he could truly be alone with his thoughts. Sometimes he utilized it to take an extra long shower, other mornings he would sit and read the news, but today he just laid in bed trying not to think about the long day ahead of him. He focused on the warm rays of the sun on kissing his skin and the soft chirping of the birds outside his window.

Soon he heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet across the hardwood floors and his door slowly creaked open. He made no effort to move his arm from across his eyes as he felt a weight shift onto the other side of the bed. He still did not move when tiny hands pushed into his gut and sharp knees dug into his sides.

“Daddy.” Only when that quiet voice finally broke the silence did he slowly move his arm off one eye, cracking it open to meet the intense azure stare of the small girl sitting on his stomach.

“Daddy its my first day of school today.” The little girl said in another hushed, but excited whisper. Kageyama merely hummed in acknowledgement as he placed his arm back over his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips. Tiny hands gripped his shirt tighter and rocked slightly into his ribcage. After several moments of silence Kageyama moved to look again and found dark blue eyes still staring intently at him. Jet black bangs hung just above that defiant stare and the rest of the raven locks were tangled in a serious case of bed head. Quickly, he extended the arm over his eyes to wrap around the waist of the small girl, pulling her down onto the bed next to him and tucking her into his chest. Her squeals and laughter filled the room as she fruitlessly tried to wiggle out of her father’s grasp.

“You’re too little to go to school.” The man mumbled as he pressed a tender kiss to the crown of his daughter’s head. That remark earned him a loud huff from the small girl and she pushed her way out of his grasp.

“I am not little Daddy! I am 5 years old and I start kindergarten today! So get up!” Small hands pushed against Kageyama’s chest as the girl tried to push her father out of bed. Kageyama let out a soft chuckle as he sat up, pulling his daughter into his lap.

“I know Bunny I know. Why don’t you go get dressed and I’ll get breakfast ready. What would you like?”

“Pancakes! In the shape of a heart!” The little girl yelled as she squirmed out of Kageyama’s lap. Her laughter filled the darkened hallway as her little feet pounded against the hardwood floors towards her room. The raven haired man gave a sigh. Today was not going to be an easy day.

After a breakfast of heart shaped (well maybe an abstract heart) pancakes and strawberries both of the Kageyamas were dressed and ready to conquer the day ahead of them.

“Daddy will you do my hair?” The little girl asked as she held a bright red silk ribbon out to him. She was wearing a royal blue corduroy dress over a white long sleeved shirt, white stockings (That Kageyama had no doubt would be some light shade of brown by the end of the day) and small black shoes. Her dark hair had been tamed and laid straight down her shoulders, bangs laying evenly across her forehead. The man took the ribbon from his daughter’s hands and worked at pulling her silky locks into a ponytail (Being a single dad had forced Kageyama into learning how to do a few basic hairstyles. Asahi had been the unfortunate test dummy but his pain had not been in vain) and then he tied the silk ribbon into a bow to cover up the black elastic.

“All done. Do you have everything you need?” The little girl nodded excitedly as she grabbed her backpack from by the door.

“I have my folder and crayons. And I even have Hana!” Small hands pulled out a worn black dog stuffed animal from inside the bag. Kageyama grabbed the small flower covered bento box that was sitting on the counter and bent down to place it into the backpack. Once he was done he looked up to meet the bright blue eyes of his daughter.

“Are you sure you’re ready Rini? You can always stay here with me today if you want. I can cal…” A small hand covering his mouth stopped his sentence.

“I want to go to school Daddy.” Kageyama gave a hard exhale before placing a small kiss onto the palm of her hand.

“Ok Bunny. Let's go to school.” The pair stepped out of their front door and into the outside world. Their living space was a house behind the bed and breakfast that Kageyama partially owned and ran. It was made for servants to live in when the house was originally built, but now it housed the duo. Rini skipped along the stone path up to the back terrace of the large house that was the Crow’s Nest Bed and Breakfast. Inside there were guests and workers milling about, busy planning their days. Many gave Rini a warm smile, the child’s presence was a staple at the establishment. The little girl weaved her way around the people until she made her way to the dining area. This part of the house had been renovated into a small restaurant that was open to the public. She giddly pushed her way into the kitchen, the signs saying Employees Only clearly not applying to her.

“TSUKKI!!!” She shrieked as she stepped into the hot and busy kitchen. The tall blonde calmly looked up from the plate that he was garnishing, amber eyes falling onto the small girls form. A small smile pulled up the corners of his lips as he moved to her and scooped her up in his arms. Kageyama had no idea why, but Tsukishima was Rini’s favorite person. The small girl would seek out the head chef out as often as she could, sitting in the kitchen to mindlessly talk to blonde as he worked. Oikawa said that she must have been drawn to the taller man since he was so similar to her father, stating that they were with both emotionally stunted assholes. But one thing was for sure, that little girl had wormed her way firmly into Tsukishima’s heart.

“Look look I’m going to school today Tsukki! I’m a big girl now!” Rini had given Kei the nickname Tsukki when she was younger, her clumsy tongue unable to wrap itself around the name Tsukishima. Only the little girl could say it without earning a sharp whack to the back of the head with whatever cooking instrument was closest.

“Do you have your lunch packed?” Her small head nodded eagerly, black bangs flopping against her forehead.

“Yup, Daddy packed it for me!” Amber eyes shifted over to Kageyama who was leaning leasierly against the doorframe. The blonde leaned in to whisper something (Kageyama could only assume it was some jab at his cooking abilities) and caused the little girl to burst out into a fit of giggles. Blue eyes shifted down to look at the watch on his wrist.

“Ok Bunny tell Tsukki goodbye. We’ve got to go get Uncle Tooru and get to school.” Small arms wrapped around the chef in a tight hug as she was gently set down on the ground. The father daughter duo left the kitchen with a small wave and headed to the reception area.

Behind the reception desk stood two men. One taller than the other with swoopy brown hair and thick black framed glasses on his face. He had a pointed nose and flipped his hands around dramatically as he spoke to his coworker. The other man had short dark brown hair and nodded his head exasperatedly at whatever the other was saying. The conversation stopped when the former spotted the Kageyamas.

“Bunny-chan you look so adorable!” The taller man wailed. Quickly he pulled himself from behind the desk and reached down to scoop up the giggling raven haired girl.

“I’m wearing the dress you got me Uncle Tooru! Do you think I’m pretty?” Bright blue eyes looked at him, eagerly awaiting his answer. Kageyama leaned against the reception desk and gave a small smile to the other man.

“You are going to be the prettiest girl at school. Do you think that I would ever pick out something for you that wasn’t top of the line fashion?” Kageyama rolled his eyes at the dramatic words of his best friend. Oikawa Tooru was Kageyama’s business partner, best friend, and the biggest pain in his ass. He had been around since Rini was born and without him and his support Kageyama had no idea where they would be now. He owed Oikawa more than a lifetime's worth of favors for all the times the brunette had saved his ass.

“Daichi what do you think? Do you think she is going to be the prettiest girl at Kurasono Elementary?” Oikawa turned so that he and Rini were facing Kageyama and the other man at the desk. An easy smile spread across the other man’s face as he looked at the little girl in Oikawa’s arms.

“Of course she is going to be.” This elicited an excited giggle and several claps from the raven haired child.

“Ok Bunny tell Daichi goodbye. We really need to get going if we’re going to get there on time.” Kageyama said as he interrupted the current inflation of his daughter’s ego. He did not want Oikawa’s big head to rub off on his daughter. Soon both the Kageyamas and Oikawa were in the car and on their way to Rini’s school.

A 10 minute drive later and they had pulled into a parking lot in front of a large gray building. Pouring into the school were other children excitedly pulling their parents into the building, or clinging to their parent’s legs as they sobbed, begging them not to go. Kageyama didn’t know which one he would have preferred. His gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. Fear and anxiety clawed at his throat and caused the back of his neck to sweat. A gentle hand on his shoulder snapped him back to reality and his gaze met Oikawa’s.

“Lets go inside Tobio.”

Soon he found himself holding the tiny hand of his daughter as he walked through the crowded hallway, reading the name plates on the doors until he found the one scribbled on the piece of paper the ashen haired receptionist had given him. He finally stopped in front of classroom 110. The name Hinata was pressed neatly into the plaque secured to the light wooden door. The two men followed Rini into the brightly colored room where there were already several children and their respective guardians. A short man dressed in gray slacks and a purple polka dot skirt stood at the front of the room. His hair was a fluorescent orange and his eyes were warm like milk chocolate. He turned to flash Kageyama a smile so bright that it lit up the room around him.

“Hello! My name is Hinata Shouyou! And whom might you be?” The shorter man asked as he knelt down in front of Rini. Kageyama could feel small fingers grip him a little tighter. Like her father, Rini was not fond of strangers.

“I-I’m Kageyama Rini.” Blue eyes looked up nervously at the fiery haired man.

“Well hello Kageyama-chan. I am very excited to be teaching you this year.” His warm smile and soft tone eased the nerves of the small girl and she responded with a soft smile of her own. Hinata then stood to look at Kageyama and Oikawa.

“And are these your…..dads?” He tilted his head as he asked the question. Kind of like a puppy. Kageyama found the word cute flashing through his head. Oikawa let out an almost offended snort at the question and quickly waved his hand that was not currently occupied by tiny fingers.

“No no no. I’m just the favorite uncle. Tobio-chan here is the proud Daddy.” The brunette said in a sing song voice as he tilted his head so it rested on Kageyama’s shoulder. The raven haired man scowled at his flamboyant friend and shoved his shoulder to dislodge Oikawa’s giant inflated head. The interaction caused Hinata to let out a sunny laugh. Everything about the man reminded Kageyama of the sun.

“Nice to meet you Hinata-sama. I am Kageyama Tobio, Rini’s father.”  
“Oh please just call me Hinata. I actually need you to sign a few papers before you leave. Just emergency contact information and extra things that I ask so I can get to know the kids a little better.” Kageyama nodded his head at the information and looked down at his daughter. Her bright blue eyes were scanning the classroom in front of her. The walls were a bright golden yellow, pictures of cartoon animals and other sparkly decorations covered the walls. 4 circular tables were at the front of the room, the children’s name tags taped in front of their respective seats. In the back there were a plethora of toys, a large bookcase, and a bubbling fish tank that held several brightly colored fish.

“Bunny-chan why don’t we go look at that fish tank while Daddy signs these papers.” Rini gave an excited smile as she dragged her uncle to the back of the room to fawn over the class pets. Kageyama followed the teacher over to one of the tables and was handed 2 papers and a pen. He stood there dumbly looking around for a place to sit before blue eyes settled on the bright red table that barely reached the middle of his shin. Hinata gave him an apologetic smile.

“I apologize. I don’t have any normal sized desks.” The taller man scowled and gingerly sat himself down on the floor, not wanting to test the structural integrity of the small chair to his right. The first page was easy. He filled out Oikawa as Rini’s emergency contact. Thankfully his daughter had no medical issues or allergies that he needed to alert the school about, so the first page was finished in minutes. The second page went more in depth about his daughter and her interests. What was her favorite color? Favorite animal? Favorite snack? Kageyama filled them out with ease, each question sparking a memory.

How Rini squealed when Oikawa had given her a bright purple tutu for her birthday, and how she refused to take it off for weeks. How every time the girl saw a dog on the street she forced Kageyama to stop and ask the owner if she could pet it. How she obsessed over strawberries, and the joy in her eyes when Kageyama would make a special trip to the farmers market to get her a basket when they were in season. Every memory brought a smile to his face and a pain in his chest.

The raven haired man sat at the tiny table looking down at the paper in front of him. How could this day already be here? Just yesterday he was changing dirty diapers and teaching her how to walk and now he was dropping her off at kindergarten. Where had the last 5 years gone? He dropped the pen on the table and pressed the palms of his hands firmly against his eyes, attempting to force away the tears that blurred his vision. He didn’t move until he felt a warm hand on his upper arm. Hinata crouched down next to him, chocolate eyes warm as he gave the paniking father a knowing look.

“I know its hard but I promise to take good care of her.” His voice was soft and his thumb rubbed soft circles into Kageyama’s arm. The dark haired man nodded softly and took a deep breath. If he lost his shit then Rini would have a total meltdown. Quickly, he scribbled down the rest of the information and handed it to the teacher. Soon Rini and Oikawa wandered their way back over to him and the trio worked on finding Rini’s name tag on the tables. A clap brought their attention to the front.

“Ok parents it is time for class to start. I have to ask you all to say your goodbyes now.” Kageyama felt his heart clamp uncomfortably in his chest. He didn’t want to say goodbye. For the last 5 years it had just been him and Rini against the world. The little girl was an aspect in every second of his day, on his mind from the moment he woke up until the moment he went to sleep. Blue eyes looked down to the small frame of his daughter. She was looking back up at him, bottom lip wavering in a tell tale sign that tears were on the brink. Kageyama knelt down and gently cupped her tiny face in his hands. He swallowed the lump in his throat, desperate for his voice to not waiver.

“You’re going to have the best time today Bunny. I’ll be back at 2:30 to come get you and then we can have Tsukki make you strawberry ice cream while you tell us about all your new friends. Okay?” Tiny hands reached up to grip his and Kageyama had to bite the inside of his cheek to force back the tears threatening to spill onto his cheeks.

“Can’t you stay too Daddy? We can make new friends together.” Oh how Kageyama wished he could stay. He wished he could be an immovable force by his daughter’s side at all times. Always protecting her, assuring that her beautiful smile never left her face. But she had to grow up. They both had to grow up.

“Daddy already went through school Bunny, and I did not do very well. You will have a great day I promise. And before you know it, I'll be here to come get you.” A few tears rolled down the girl’s chubby cheeks and Kageyama was quick to wipe them away. In a flurry of movement she jumped towards Kageyama, wrapping herself tightly around his neck. The man closed his eyes and embraced her, holding her securely in his arms.

“Ok Daddy. But you have to promise we will have ice cream later.” The request made him chuckle. No amount of sadness could ever distract the small girl when her favorite dessert had been mentioned. Slowly they seperated and Kageyama looked lovely at his daughter.

“I promise Bunny.” He then stood and blue eyes met the slightly watery brown ones of his best friend. The two men quietly left the room and walked out to the car. Once outside Oikawa slipped silently behind the steering wheel. Kageyama slumped next to him staring blankly at the dashboard. He felt numb. Inside that building was his entire world, the most precious thing in his life. For the first time since she was born, he would not have her with him all day. That reality came crashing down on him all at once as he pressed his hands into his face. A soft hand began to rub circles onto his back as they pulled out of the parking lot. By the time they reached the bed and breakfast Kageyama stepped out of the car with red swollen eyes and a lost look on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/a_very_smolfrog) for updates on fics, haikyuu brain rot, and other shenanigans.


	2. Tasting the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama learns how to cope with his daughter’s absence and gets some unexpected visitors at the bed and breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support for the first chapter! It made me really excited about this and my writing. 
> 
> This chapter is super long. I am excited because I figured out a way to include Kuroo and Kenma into this fic <3\. I’ve outlined most of the chapters so I now have a clear idea of how this story will play out. I am super excited to share this story with you guys! Please enjoy!

Kageyama sat in his office with his forehead pressed against the cool wooden surface of his desk. Once he and Oikawa had gotten back to the bed and breakfast, the former had immediately went to his office and sealed himself inside. His logic behind this was that if he spent the entire day busy at work then time would pass faster. It had been two hours since he had dropped Rini off at school and it felt like two lifetimes. It didn’t help that his office doubled as the little girl’s playroom for when he was working, so he couldn’t look anywhere in the room without being reminded of her. Next to his desk was a small table with coloring books and a box of markers. Across the room was a jumbo purple bean bag chair, the floor around it was littered with the girl’s favorite plushies. Each wall was adorned with her artwork. Even the surface of his desk had been covered in various My Little Pony stickers. The man gave a heavy sigh. He knew he was being slightly dramatic but he couldn’t help but feel the absence of his daughter heavily in his chest. A soft knock on his door distracted him from his melancholy.

“Kags it's me. May I come in?” The man on the other side of the door asked tentatively.

“Yeah. Asahi come on in.” Slowly the door creaked open revealing a giant of a man holding a tray of food. Asahi was the main server at the restaurant and had been a friend of Diachi’s for years. The sharp juxtaposition between his intimidating stature and soft personality often caught people off guard. As a waiter Asahi excelled, his gentle demeanor made it difficult for guests to be unruly with him and his build made it easy for him to carry large heavy trays of food for hours on end. He placed the one currently in his hands down on the desk in front of Kageyama. Pork curry. Kageyama smiled softly at the gesture, his staff must have anticipated how difficult today would be for the father.

“Tsukishima made lunch for everyone today. I thought you would want to eat yours in your office.” Asahi sat down in the chair across from Kageyama’s desk, dark brown eyes gazing forlornly at Kageyama.

“I’m fine Asahi really. I miss her like crazy but I know she is safe there, and I knew this day was coming.” Kageyama really didn’t want his staff looking at him like he was a lost puppy. He was sad but there was nothing he could do but wait until school finished.

“I know Kags but today still has to be difficult. We just want you to know that we are all here for you and we miss her too.” The gentle man gave Kageyama a warm smile. Asahi was the human embodiment of a teddy bear. Whenever he was around any sadness or sourness just vanished into his warm plushy demeanor.

“Again I promise you all I am fine. Thank you for bringing me my lunch and tell Tsukishima that I said thank you for cooking it. Now go make sure Tsukishima hasn’t killed Noya and Tanaka please.” The sous chef and line cook were always trying to press all of the blonde’s buttons, seeing which one would make him snap. Honestly, Kageyama was shocked that they hadn’t somehow blown up the kitchen in their shenanigans. Asahi’s desperate pleas were often the only thing that could get them to behave. Besides Kageyama’s glare that is. Asahi’s eyes widened in fear at the thought of what the duo could be up to and he quickly excused himself from the room.

“Oh Asahi!” The taller man paused at the door, looking at Kageyama over his shoulder.

“Will you tell Tsukishima that Rini asked for strawberry ice cream? It is her treat for having a good first day of school.” The request made a giant smile spread across both the men’s faces. Tsukishima hated making ice cream but if it was a request from Rini the man would make a 100 different flavors.

“I’ll pass along the message.” And with that Asahi slowly shut the office door behind him, silence falling over the room.

Alone again Kageyama leaned back in his chair and gave a deep sigh. It was time to stop throwing himself a pity party and to get on with his day. A loud grumble from his stomach distracted him from the spreadsheets on his computer and turned his attention to the steaming bowl of mouth-watering curry on his desk. Tsukishima did take quite a bit of time to make that curry, it would be a shame to let it get cold.

~~~

After finally distracting himself with this month’s budget report time did start to fly by. Before he knew it the alarm on his phone signaling that it was 2:00pm began to chime. Kageyama’s heart flew into his throat as he quickly grabbed his keys and rushed out of his office and into his car. In his excitement he got to the school in record time and he pulled up behind a few other antsy parents waiting for their children in front of the entrance of the school. His legs bounced anxiously and no matter how long he looked at the clock, 2:30pm did not approach any faster. Blue eyes kept flicking to the front doors, waiting to see a bright blue dress and red ribbon. Finally, when he saw the forms of children appear through the glass he hopped out of his car and craned his neck, desperate to catch a glimpse of his daughter.

Slowly children started to pour out of the building in a steady stream. All of them shrieking with glee when they saw their waiting parents, darting over to them and babbling excitedly about their day.

“DADDY!” Kageyama’s heart soared as he saw the familiar girl sprint out of the doors towards him. By the time she reached him Kageyama was kneeling down ready to catch her as she flung herself into his arms. The father took what felt like his first real breath all day, the tension in his shoulders finally relaxing as he felt the warm weight of his daughter against his chest.

“Hey Bunny! God I missed you so much. How was your day?” Kageyama couldn’t help but pepper his daughter with a million kisses all over her head and face. The little girl prattled on about her day as Kageyama secured her into her carseat and started to drive home.

Rini told her father every detail of her day. She talked to him about the art she drew, the stories Hinata told, and her new friends. Kageyama smiled as he listened to her ramble on, just focusing on her voice and enjoying her presence. He was glad that she had a good day, but he was even more excited that she was home.

Once they got back to the bed and breakfast they found the entire staff waiting inside the lobby for them, ready to welcome Rini home after her first day of school. The little girl was overwhelmed with excitement, unable to focus on more than one person or story for long before she got distracted. The group went to the restaurant where Tsukishima had prepared enough ice cream for all of them.

The seven men all sat and listened to Rini as she recounted her day between sloppy mouthfuls of her favorite dessert. She eagerly showed them the pictures she drew, one of which was a picture of all of them together at the bed and breakfast. Oikawa took that one and vowed to have it framed in the lobby. After ice cream Kageyama forced his child to eat at least a little bit of an actual dinner and then whisked her back to their small house for a bath. After she was washed and clothed the little girl’s energy began to deteriorate quickly. Kageyama checked the clock, it was only 6:00pm but after all the excitement of school he wasn’t surprised she was exhausted. The pair snuggled under a blanket on the couch to watch a movie, something about a dog that plays basketball, and 15 minutes in Rini was sound asleep on his chest. For awhile Kageyama just laid there, watching the peaceful face of his daughter as she slept snuggled against him. He tried to burn the image in his brain and memorize the swelling of his heart in his chest. The father knew that these moments were fleeting and he wanted to treasure them for as long as he could.

Eventually he carried the little girl to her room and tucked her into bed, pressing one last kiss on her forehead before closing the door quietly behind him. The sound of his phone ringing pulled him back into the living room. The caller ID was unknown but thinking it might be a guest with an emergency he picked up anyway.

“Hello?”

“Hello! Is this Kageyama-san? This is Hinata, Rini’s teacher!” Kageyama’s eyebrows pinched together in a frown. Why was his daughter’s teacher calling him at 7:00pm?

“Yes, but please just call me Kageyama. Is there something wrong? Did Rini leave something at school?”

“Oh no no not at all! I just like to try and touch base with all the parents after the first day of school to tell them how their child did. I wasn’t able to catch you at pick up so I decided to call. This also gives you my phone number so you can call me if you have any questions or concerns in the future.” Kageyama raised an eyebrow at the teacher’s dedication. After handling 16 small children, who had never been to school before, all day he must be exhausted but here he was personally calling each parent to talk to them about their child. It made Kageyama relax some knowing his daughter had such a thoughtful and dedicated teacher.

“Wow that is very…..attentive of you.” Kageyama fumbled over his word choice. The closest thing to a compliment he gave his employees was calling them dumbass. The action was unfamiliar to him.

“Well I know how hard the first day can be on both the student and their parents, and I find it helps put the parents at ease knowing how their child’s day went. Rini did very well today! She is one of my quieter students but once she warmed up her sweet personality really shined. She became fast friends with Kuroo Ran, another girl in my class. Overall, she was a joy to have today and I can’t wait to spend the rest of the year with her! How is she now that she is home?” Kageyama found himself earnestly listening to the teacher’s every word, happy to hear that Rini had been a good student and made a friend.

“Right now she is out like a light. The first day of school really tuckered her out. But she was very excited to tell me all about her day. She went on and on about all the silly voices you make while you read stories.” Kageyama found it easy to talk to the man on the other side of the phone. He told himself it was because the conversation was about his daughter, but he enjoyed listening to the cheerful laugh on the other end of the receiver.

“Well I am glad that my subpar acting skills were able to impress her. It is good to hear that she enjoyed herself today. I will let you get back to your evening now. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.” Kageyama could hear the exhaustion in the other man’s voice. The raven haired man found himself once again admiring Hinata’s dedication to his job.

“Thank you for using your free time to call me. I’m sure you are exhausted but it is comforting to know that Rini has such a dedicated teacher.” Kageyama swore he could hear a smile spread across the teacher’s face, and a warmth crept across his cheeks. He was just giving the other man a well-deserved compliment! There was nothing to be embarrassed about, but he couldn’t help but squirm in the brief moment of silence.

“Thank you for the high praise Kageyama. Have a goodnight.”

“Have a goodnight Hinata.” After the call ended Kageyama sat on the couch with a soft smile on his lips for a few moments before going to bed.

~~~

While dropping Rini off at school every morning never got more enjoyable, it did get a little easier. Kageyama was happy that his little girl woke up everyday excited to go to school, bouncing with glee the second their car pulled into the parking lot. The first week of class went by quickly, and the father was relishing the few days that he could spend the afternoon with his daughter.

Sunday morning Kageyama woke up to the feeling of tiny hands pulling at his cheeks.

“Daaaaadddddyyyyyyy.” The father let out a groan. Last night Rini refused to lay down, insisting that they watch movie after movie. Since she had done so well during her first week of school Kageyama gave into the little girl’s selfish demands. What he did not expect was for her to wake up 5 hours later full of energy.

“Bunny its too early.” His voice was rough with sleep. Blue eyes opened, blinking against the light that was shining through the window. Rini sat criss cross next to her father, her wild bed head managing to block most of the sun’s rays from directly hitting Kageyama in the face.

“But Tsukki said I could go to the market with him todaaaayyyyyy.” She whined. Ah, Kageyama had forgotten the blonde’s promise to his daughter. With a deep sigh the raven haired man sat up, eliciting a squeal of glee from his daughter. 30 minutes later Rini was dressed and buckled in the back seat of Kageyama’s car, Tsukishima behind the wheel.

“Don’t let her eat a bunch of sweets. Here is some money for breakfast. She has to have water or milk with breakfast” Blue eyes shot to the back seat, the comment clearly not only directed at the driver. “Thanks for letting her tag along Tsukishima.” The blonde only gave a small nod.

“Ok Daddy enough talking! Come on Tsukki lets go!” Kageyama stood back and gave a small wave, watching the car drive off down the road.

Kageyama decided to take advantage of his daughter’s absence and use this time to get some yard work done. He went to the back shed and pulled out the ancient lawn mower from its designated spot. Several hard tugs, curses, and a kick or two later and the mechanical beast roared to life.

An hour later the backyard was finished and the man moved to the front. Even though it was early, the labor and the rising sun had drenched Kageyama in sweat. His black tank top clung to his chest and beads of sweat rolled down his neck and temples. Man he really needed to start hitting the gym a little more frequently. Just before he started the mower again he heard a cheerful “Kageyama!” Blue eyes rose to see a bright orange mop of hair and a sunny smile.

“Hinata. Good morning.” Kageyama walked closer to the road where the teacher was standing. The smaller man wasn’t alone. Next to him stood the ashen haired secretary that Kageyama recognized from Rini’s first day of school. On his other side was a man of similar height with dark brown hair and a face littered with freckles. The trio were all adorned in ratty gym clothes, faces red and sweaty.

“Good morning to you too! Kageyama meet Suga and Yamaguchi. They’re both good friends of mine. This is Kageyama, one of my student’s father.” Kageyama gave a curt nod to the other 2 men. He felt extremely uncomfortable standing before the strangers in just his tank top and shorts. Both of the other men gave him bright smiles and a cheerful good morning. Kageyama wondered if it was a requirement to be so cheerful in order to work at the school.

“So is this where you work?” Hinata gestured to the Crow’s Nest. Chocolate eyes did not look at the building though, and instead trailed their way up and down Kageyama’s sweaty body. The raven haired man felt a heat forming at the tips of his ears.

“Um yes. I am one of the owners.” Kageyama ran a hand over the back of his neck, scrunching his nose at the dampness he found there.

“Woah that’s so cool! It must be hard running your own business. I’ve never stayed here but I’ve heard great things about the restaurant.” Hinata exclaimed brightly. It please Kageyama to know that their little restaurant carried a good reputation in the town. At the mention of the restaurant Suga’s eyes lit up.

“Kageyama does your restaurant take reservations?” The ashen haired man asked quickly.

“Um yes?” Kageyama didn’t know of a single restaurant who didn’t take reservations.

“I know this is extremely short notice but the school recently hired a new principle and we scheduled a faculty dinner to celebrate and welcome him. This morning I got a call that the restaurant we had originally booked reservations with had made a mistake and double booked the tables. I know it might be a long shot but would we be able to reserve 4 tables for Thursday night at 7:00pm?” The mans words were rushed and he stepped off the sidewalk and closer to Kageyama, his eyes were bright and hopeful. The raven haired man blinked and stood processing the information.

“Thursdays aren’t one of our busier nights so it shouldn’t be a problem. Why don’t you guys come inside and I’ll look at the reservation book.” This earned him an excited cheer from the trio and they all walked inside the building.

Oikawa was sitting behind the front desk lazily flipping through a magazine when the group approached. Once he saw them his eyes lit up and one of his signature smiles spread itself across his lips.

“Hinata-chan what a nice surprise! What have you and your friends been up to this morning to be so deliciously disheveled looking?” Kageyama rolled his eyes and moved behind the desk to the computer, giving Oikawa a light smack to the back of the head. Hinata’s cheeks were tinted rose and he gave a nervous laugh.

“We were out running before we ran into Kageyama. We are training for a marathon happening in a few months.”

“Ah so that’s how you stay so...fit.” Oikawa put an emphasis on the last word as he let his eyes shamelessly trail down the smaller man’s body. Hinata squirmed under the brunette’s intense stare. Since Kageyama had known him, Oikawa had always been a shameless flirt. That is actually how they first met when Oikawa had first been hired at the same restaurant as Kageyama. The man had spent their entire shift flirting with Kageyama and only stopped after the latter had poured a drink down the front of his pants, saying that since he was so thirsty that he should have a drink. Kageyama was still proud of his wittiness. And while the flirting never fully stopped the pair were able to form a close friendship.

“Oi dumbass stop harassing the guests. Suga it says here that we have the space for your reservation on Thursday.” All three of the men across the desk clapped their hands excitedly and gave Kageyama smiles so bright he was almost blinded.

“You are a life saver Kageyama! Thank you so much!” The raven haired man quickly took down their information, worrying at his lower lip as he typed. It was a bad habit of his to chew on something while he was concentrating. When blue eyes left the computer screen and looked up he found Hinata’s eyes transfixed on Kageyama’s actions, licking his own bottom lip softly. When the teacher noticed that he had been caught staring a deep scarlet blush formed across his cheeks. Milk chocolate eyes quickly became distracted by a couple walking out of the restaurant. Kageyama looked over to find Oikawa staring very intently at the interaction, a sly smirk spreading across his face as he gave Kageyama a wink. The raven haired man felt his own cheeks burn and he cleared his throat.

“Ok well you guys are all set. I will email you the details of your reservation. Thank you for choosing to dine with us.” After several more thank yous and muttering from Kageyama that it was no trouble, the joggers finally left, leaving Kageyama alone with Oikawa.

“Hmm Chibi-chan looked like he was hungry but not for Tsukki’s cooking.” His voice dripped with suggestion and Kageyama felt his cheeks flame up again as he remembered the slightly hungry gaze of the orange haired man. Sure, Kageyama found him attractive but he was Rini’s teacher! After his last relationship, Kageyama vowed that he didn’t need anyone in his life besides Rini and his closest friend. Even if that friend was the biggest pain in his ass 99% of the time.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about dumbass. He is Rini’s teacher and I was helping them out of a sticky situation. That’s it. There is nothing and never will be anything more than a parent-teacher relationship between us.” Yes, that was it. They would only ever have a completely professional relationship. Kageyama definitely didn’t notice how the smaller man’s shirt was just a little too big and the stretched neck exposed his pale collar bones. He for sure didn’t watch as small beads of sweat ran down his neck and pooled there, wondering what it would be like to kiss that spot, to taste the embodiment of the sun. Nope, Kageyama did not want anything more than a professional and friendly relationship with the teacher.

Kageyama was snapped out of his thoughts by a laugh from Oikawa.

“Oh Tobio-chan it looks like Chibi-chan isn’t the only one who is hungry.” The brunette stood and giggled again with glee, giving Kageyama a small boop on the tip of his nose. Brown eyes met blue and the older man’s expression softened.

“You’re allowed to be happy you know. You’re allowed to trust someone again.” His voice was soft and sad. Kageyama gave the man a deep scowl and gave Oikawa a soft push.

“Oi dumbass don’t get all touchy feely on me. I’m not used to you showing normal human emotion. Nothing is going to happen between us. I don’t need anyone besides Rini and you so stop worrying ok. I’m happy.” The sad look did not leave his friend’s eyes but they shared a soft smile.

“Ouch Tobio-chan your words hurt. I am only trying to give you advice on how to spice up your non existent sex life. Now go finish mowing my lawn! If you wore some shorter shorts maybe we could attract some more customers. I know I would love to get a good look at these thighs.” Oikawa purred as he trailed a long finger up from Kageyama’s knee to his inner hip. The raven haired man jumped at the touch, moving to put the solid wood desk between him and his perverted friend.

“I should sue you for sexual harassment.” Kageyama growled as he left the front desk and went to the front doors, going to finish his yard work. As he mowed he let his mind wander to soft images of pale skin and the taste of sunshine. Dreams. Those images would only ever be dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter! I am super excited about where this is going so I might have the next chapter out by the end of the week. Again if you have any comments or tips for me I would be more than happy to hear them!


	3. Definition of Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa is knocked down a peg by the Crow's Nest's newest employee and Rini begins to ask questions about her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there isn't much kagehina in this chapter but there is lots of iwaoi! The next chapter will be fill of kagehina I promise <3
> 
> I'm finding myself struggling with my writing style. I feel like it is childish and uninteresting. I'm not giving up on finishing this fic I'm just doubting if it is any good or not. But practice makes perfect I guess!
> 
> There is some sad moments in this chapter but I promise it ends on a happy note!
> 
> EDIT (2/25/2020): So I really hated that first interaction between Oikawa and Iwaizumi so I completely changed it! So please make sureto reread this chapter if you read it before that edit!)

Kageyama loves being a father. It is his greatest joy in life. Every good thing that had ever happened to him was because of his giggling little girl. But on rare occasions there were no giggles. Instead there were screams, pouting, and tears. In those moments Kageyama would have to sit, take a deep breath, and muster up every ounce of patience held within his 6ft frame. This was one of those moments.

The father wasn’t entirely sure that the child in front of him was his daughter and not some evil goblin that had taken her form in the middle of the night. Everything had been a battle since the moment she woke up. First, she didn’t want to wake up. Then she didn’t like the outfit Kageyama had picked out. She was angry that Kageyama put her milk in the pink cup instead of the orange one. And now Kageyama kneeled by the front door trying to coax his daughter into her shoes.

“I don’t like these shoes!” Rini kicked her foot out of her father’s grasp. Her arms were crossed against her chest and hot angry tears ran down her cheeks. Kageyama sat back with a deep sigh and silently prayed to god, _any god_ , that his daughter would just put her damn shoes on.

“Kageyama Rini we are not doing this anymore. You are going to put your shoes on and we are going to leave for school. End of discussion young lady.” His voice was steady and stern. Kageyama didn’t believe in yelling or physical violence to get his child to listen to him, the last thing he wanted was for Rini to fear him, but in these moments where she was being irrational he had to be stern. The father was acknowledged by silence but the little girl finally allowed Kageyama to slip her shoes on. The pair left the house, Rini walking a few steps in front of her father, pointedly not speaking or looking at him. They walked into the Crow’s Nest and through the lobby to get to the front doors.

“Good morning Bunny-chan!” Oikawa said cheerily when he saw his god daughter. Confusion flashed across his face when the little girl continued her silence and ignored him. The brunette gave Kageyama a look of concern and received only a tired glace and a shrug from the father.

Rini continued her pouting all the way to school, not even looking at her father as he buckled her into her carseat. Once they had arrived and she had stepped out of the car she turned and spoke to Kageyama.

“I want Uncle Tooru to pick me up from school. I dont want to see your big dumb face!” Kageyama sat for a moment, shocked at his daughter’s haughty attitude. She had never acted like this before, and Kageyama felt something bitter rise to the back of his throat as he remembered the days before Rini was born, she sounded a lot like her mother. The father scowled at the tiny and angry child in front of him.

“Kageyama Rini this is unacceptable. You have been disrespectful to me all morning and I will not have it. You are going to fix your attitude and not cause Hinata-sensei any trouble today, and then we are going to discuss this when you get home.” Even after his harsh words the little girl in front of him did not backed down. Instead she stomped one tiny foot, causing the lights in her sneakers to go off and making it much less dramatic, and marched right into the building. Kageyama stayed in his crouched form, blinking dumbly at the space where his daughter once stood. With a sigh Kageyama stood and got back into his car. That was a conversation he was not looking forward to having later.

~~~

When Kageyama returned to the Crow’s Nest he found a man with dark hair and tanned skin waiting in his office for him.

“Ah Iwaizumi-san it's nice to see you again.” Iwaizumi was the bed and breakfast’s newest hire and would be joining Asahi has a waiter in the dining room. The stoic man in front of him gave a small nod.

“Please call me Iwaizumi.” Kageyama liked Iwaizumi. He was quiet, diligent, and had a level head (qualities that they did not have enough of at the Crow’s Nest). He hoped that the other man’s presence would help bring a calm energy to the restaurant. It desperately needed it.

“Well let me show you around the Nest and introduce you to everyone.” The men strolled around while Kageyama told Iwaizumi all about how the bed and breakfast was run. Even though the latter would only be working the dining room, Kageyama felt like it was good for him to be familiar with the entire residence and those who worked there. They said hello to Daichi, head of maintenance, Tsukishima, head chef, Noya, sous chef, Tanaka, line cook, and Asahi, restaurant manager. After they had made their rounds there was only one introduction left.

“Tobio-chan! I just got off the phone with a dreadful old woman. That harpy expected her deposit back even though she cancelled her stay 5 hours before she was suppose to be here.” The lanky brunette draped himself dramatically across Kageyama’s shoulders, giving a theatrical sigh.

“And because she was on the phone, I couldn’t swoon her with my dazzling smile. You know no one can resist my smiles Tobi-chan.” Kageyama wrinkled his nose in disdain and his shoved his business partner off his shoulders.

“Your smiles are just as ugly as the rest of your face. Now quit acting like a child and meet our newest employee. Iwaizumi this is Oikawa, Oikawa this is Iwaizumi.” Brown eyes looked up and settled on the other man for the first time. Kageyama could hear the switch flip inside Oikawa’s head as the other man turned from pudulent child to sauve charmer.

“Nice to meet you Iwaizumi. I hope Tobio-chan hasn’t bored you to death.” Oikawa said in a sing song voice, once again leaning onto Kageyama.

“You’re a terrible business partner. You shouldn’t insult me in front of our emplyees.” His comment did little to deture Oikawa, infact it seemed to just encourage his behavior even more.

“Tobio only has 2 modes when it comes to interacting with the customers, babbling idiot or angry idiot. There was one time he even made a woman cry!” Kageyama flinched at the memory. It hadn’t been his best moment. It was a few months after they had reopened the Crow’s Nest. Oikawa had inherited the delapitated building from his grandmother when she passed, the two saw the opportunity at a new life and jumped on it. That summer they worked themselves to death to renovvate the building, take care of a baby, and make sure Umi couldn’t find them. To say it was a period in Kageyama’s life where he was a little stressed would be a drastic understatement. After their grand opening a rather rude woman came in and complained at just about everything and demanded a refund. Rini had been sick at the time and Kageyama had gotten little to no sleep, so when the woman began to scream at him he just snapped. Thankfully Oikawa was able to save the situation and their reputation didn’t go down the toilet. After that incident Kageyama began to work behind the scenes.

“That was a long time ago and you know that that is a very poor description of what happened.” Iwaizumi just looked at the 2 men bicker with a bored expression on his face.

“So Iwa-chan now that you’ve had the grand tour are you ready to work?! We’ve got a very important” he emphasized the word with a swing of his head so that his chocolate gaze was settled on Kageyama, a sly smirk on his lips and a sultry smolder in his tone “group of people coming tonight and we need to make a good impression.” Iwaizumi’s face had gone sour and he was not paying any attention to the suggestive innuendos Oikawa was throwing Kageyama’s way.

“Don’t call me that. My name is Iwaizumi.” He said gruffly.

“Oh Iwa-chan don’t be such a stick in the mud! Everyone here gets a nickname! If I don’t give you one Bunny-chan will.” Rini did have a habit of giving the employees nicknames, especially when she was younger due to the difficulty of some names (henc Tsukki and Noya).

“Bunny-chan?” Iwaizumi hadn’t met Rini yet, typically the young girl accompanied Kageyama on his tours with new employees, prattling on about the best hiding spaces, funny stories about guests, and anything else she deemed important. The realization that she wasn’t there made Kageyama’s stomach drop and an ache spread throughout his chest.

“My daughter. She usually accompanies me when I give a tour to new employees but she started school this week. She will be home around 2:30 and will be very excited to meet you.” Kageyama hoped Iwaizumi liked kids. Rini was a staple around the Crow’s Nest and was loved dearly by the guests and other employees. If Iwaizumi didn’t like kids he surely wouldn’t last long.

“Ah. Well as long as she isn’t anything like Trashikawa here then I’m looking forward to it.” Both the other men balked at the nickname. Oikawa had given everyone else a nickname to some degree but no one else had bothered to give him one. Kageyama enjoyed the simplicity of referring to everyone as dumbass, the other employees had never bothered (or at least had never called Oikawa any of his nicknames to his face), and Rini stuck with Uncle Tooru. Iwaizumi was the first person to give Oikawa a little taste of his own medicine.

Kageyama was the first to react, letting out a laugh and clapping Oikawa on the back, the other man let out an undignified squeak.

“Trashi...you can’t call me that!” Iwaizumi arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms around his chest. His expression was neutral and Kageyama merely observed.

“Then you can’t call me Iwa-chan. Don’t be such a stick in the mud everyone gets a nickname.” A shocked expression had settled across Oikawa’s face as he heard his works from earlier tossed back at him in a mocking tone. He let out a harsh huff of air from his nose and crossed his own arms, a defiant sharpness had settled in his eyes.

“You don’t want to play this game Iwa-chan. I never lose.” If Oikawa Tooru had one flaw (Which if you asked him he didn't because he was God's gift to the world) it would be his stubbornness. When Oikawa wanted something he worked until he got it, never letting anything or anyone stand in his way. During the first year or so of them opening The Crow’s Nest that stubbornness is what fueled Oikawa, propelling him forward even when he had nothing left. Kageyama had learned first hand how difficult it was to change the other man’s mind once he had set it.

Iwaizumi matched Oikawa’s defiant stare with a bored expression.

“I’m not worried.” The 2 just stood there, waiting for the other to shift their gaze, but neither wanted to back down. Kageyama just rolled his eyes. Maybe Iwaizumi wasn’t as level headed as he thought.

~~~

Kageyama sat leaning against the hood of his car waiting for his daughter to come out of school. He had been thinking about how he was going to approach this situation all day. Clearly something had upset his daughter, every child has their bad days but Rini had never acted like this before. He saw her skip happily out of the front doors, talking excitedly to another little girl.

 _“Well at least her mood at improved while she was at school”_ He thought. When azure eyes settled on him her smile fell and she timidly approached the car.

“Hi Daddy.” Her voice was apprehensive and she looked down at her shoes sheepishly.

“Let's get you in the car. We will have our talk at home.” The man tried his best to keep his voice neutral. He wasn’t mad at his daughter, just worried, but she needed to know that her behavior was unacceptable. What he wanted most though was for her to feel comfortable enough to approach him when something was wrong instead of lashing out.

The drive home was quiet and when they entered the house Kageyama picked up his daughter and took her into the living room, setting her down on the couch while he sat down on the floor in front of her. Black bangs hung in front of her eyes as she desperately tried to avoid her father’s gaze.

“Hey” he said softly, tilting her chin up with his pointer finger “I’m not mad ok. You don’t need to be scared. But we do need to talk about your attitude and what you said to me this morning.” Tiny teeth bit into a quivering lip as the little girl nodded her head.

“Why were you so upset this morning? Did you have a bad dream? Did you feel sick?” Rini shook her head no to the latter two questions. Her little nose scrunched up and her mouth puckered, tiny hands balled into fists in her lap, knuckles white with tension. It made Kageyama’s chest ache to see his daughter so upset and not tell him.

“Why don’t I have a Mommy?” The question knocked the air from Kageyama’s lungs. He felt ice cold dread drip down his spine and settle in his gut. He knew that this conversation would happen someday but had always hoped it would be in the distant future. How do you tell a little girl that her mother abandoned her the second she was born? That her mother had wanted to hurt them and they had to flee for their safety.

“Akio-kun said that our family isn’t real because we don’t have a Mommy. H-h-he said that it m-must be be-ecause I-m broken.” Tears started to stream down the little girl’s cheeks and sobs began to wrack her body. Kageyama was off the floor in an instant, curling himself around his daughter and pulling her into his chest. He gently pet her hair and tried to soothe her as she clung to him.

“Bunny look at me okay.” The father pulled away slightly so he could look into her big watery eyes. The pain reflected in them made Kageyama’s chest twist painfully. His job was to protect her, to make sure that she always knew she was loved and safe and he was failing miserably.

“A family isn’t defined by having a Mommy and Daddy, understand? It can be just a Mommy, or two Mommies, or two Daddies, or a Daddy and a silly Uncle.” The last example made a small smile appear on her face between sniffles. Kageyama reached up and wiped a few tears off of his daughter’s cheeks.

“But what is most important about family is that you love and take care of each other. And I love you more than anything in the world Bunny. You are the greatest thing to ever happen to me and I promise to take care of you forever. And Uncle Tooru loves you so so so much and he always will. Love is what makes a family, and we both love you with all our hearts. So don’t let anyone ever tell you that your family isn’t real. We are just as much of a family as any family with a Mommy and Daddy.” Kageyama never wanted his daughter to feel lesser because their family wasn’t traditional. He had done everything he could to make sure that she had a happy and safe home to flourish in. And he had not done it alone. Tooru had fought tooth and nail by his side to assure that Rini had a safe environment that so that she could thrive. The two men would move mountains if it made sure that the little girl would have a smile on her face.

The tears had stopped falling and only the sound of sniffles filled the room. Rini wrapped her arms around her father in a tight hug and Kageyama held her, hoping that she could feel how much he loved her.

“I love you Daddy. I am sorry.” Kageyama placed a tender kiss to the top of her head, rubbing soft circles in her back.

“I love you so much Bunny, and if something is bothering you like that just tell me okay. You can tell me anything.” He felt her nod into his chest and heard a muffled ok.

“Can we go see Uncle Tooru? I want my family.” Kageyama felt his chest twist painfully at the pitiful sound of her voice.

“Sure Bunny.” Silently Kageyama lifted his daughter, her head still buried in his neck. Oikawa was easy to find, he was sitting behind the front desk typing something into his phone. When he noticed the state of the Kageyamas, concern washed across his face. Once Kageyama had stopped in front of the other man Rini turned around and flung herself into Oikawa’s arms. The latter caught her and gave Kageyama a confused look as she buried herself into his embrace.

“Uncle Tooru, promise me that you’ll always be my family. Please don’t ever stop loving me.” Her tiny shoulders began to shake with soft sobs. Several emotions flashed through the man’s eyes, confusion, distress, and finally sorrow. His arms wrapped around the girl fiercely.

“Now where on earth did you get the silly idea that I would ever stop loving you? You will always be my family Rini, I will never leave you.” His voice had taken on a tender tone reserved solely for the Kageyamas. He put on a dramatic bravado around all others but with the Kageyamas, his family, Oikawa let down his guard and allowed himself to be vulnerable, knowing that the duo would always take care of him. His soft words soothed the little girl and tears were reduced to pitiful sniffles.

“Hey Bunny-chan do you want to go to the kitchen and help Tsukki decorate the cake for all of your teachers? I think he could really use some of your creative input.” The mention of Tsukishima, cake, and art quickly banished all of the sorrow from the little girl’s dimenor, replacing it with excitement.

“Yes yes yes!” And suddenly all was right in the world again. Kageyama watched Rini wiggle her way to the floor. Her laughter was like a strong wind, blowing away all of the sadness that had hung so heavy in the room just moments ago. The men followed the excited little girl through the dining hall and into the kitchen where Tsukishima was currently pulling said cake out of the oven. When he noticed Rini’s swollen red rimmed eyes he flashed Kageyama a concerned look.

“Rini wants to know if she can help you decorate the cake. Its been a...rough day.” He added that last part softly. He didn’t really want to explain to the entire staff what had just transpired, he was still having a difficult time grasping the situation himself.

“Of course. The cake needs to cool but we can begin mixing the icing.” Rini squealed with glee as she scrambled over to Tsukishima, the blonde placing a tiny purple flower apron her and helping her wash her hands. Methodically, he began to collect the ingredients needed to make the icing, allowing Rini to arrange them on the counter space. All traces of sorrow were gone from her face, replaced with intense concentration as she tried not to drop the bag of powdered sugar. Both Oikawa and Kageyama slipped out of the kitchen and walked back to the latter’s office.

“What the fuck just happened?” The brunette snapped as soon as the door was closed. Very few things could cause him to anger so quickly, his ability to remain calm in tense situations was unparalleled, but when Rini was involved his fuse grew very short.

“Apparently some boy at school told Rini that her family doesn’t count because she doesn’t have a Mom and that it must be because she is broken.” Oikawa’s expression fell and all the warmth in his amber eyes was replaced with ice.

“Who does that little shit head think he is?! That **_witch_** ” he spat the word out bitterly “left because she doesn’t have a shred of human decency in her body.” Oikawa’s hands were clenched in fists at his sides. Kageyama laid a soft hand down on the other man’s shoulder.

“But neither of the children know that. I explained to Rini that a family is a group od people who love and protect you and that it’s not defined by having two parents. I’m going to talk to Hinata about it so he can address it with the little boy’s parents. Believe me Oikawa I am just as upset as you are. She was distraught and to see her cry like that...” The raven haired man had to stop talking as he felt his throat swell and his eyes water. Silently Oikawa pulled Kageyama into an embrace and for a few drawn out moments the men just held each other.

Together they had walked through the pits of hell and back. They had seen each other at their worst and pulled the other back from the brink multiple times. While they weren’t related by blood they were family in every sense of the word.

“Love you Tobio.”

“Love you too Tooru.”

~~~

The faculty dinner went off without a hitch. Iwaizumi proved that he was not only useful for torturing Oikawa, but that he was also a skilled waiter and surprisingly good people person. The new principal, Ushijima Wakatoshi, was the last person you would expect to be the principle of an elementary school. He was a giant and almost expressionless man, but once Kageyama had met him and observed him some, it was clear that he was just an unskilled conversationalist. Kageyama was no position to judge someone on their social aptitude.

When it was time for dessert Asahi came out carrying a large cake adorned with flowers and butterflies that had clearly been drawn on by a 5 year old. Said 5 year old was currently riding on Tanaka’s shoulders, giggling with glee as the teachers complimented her on her artistry. She stood in a chair next to Ushijima helping him map out the cuts of the cake so that he didn't break any flowers. The little girl proudly exclaimed that she had worked very hard on the purple flower in the corner and that he should have that one because it was the best. When interacting with children the large man’s demeanor changed instantly. His voice was gentle and he knew just the right moments to tease or make a silly voice to cause the little girl to laugh. Kageyama leaned against the doorframe of the entrance to the restaurant, watching his daughter with a smile on his face.

“She is amazing you know.” A soft voice said behind him and caused Kageyama to jump. Hinata stood next to him in the entry, looking up at him with a soft smile. It made Kageyama’s stomach do a flip flop.

“Yeah she is isn’t she?” His gaze returned to his daughter as she ran around the table handing each teacher their own piece of cake.

“They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It must be tough being a single dad but you’re doing an unbelievable job.” The compliment caused Kageyama’s cheeks to flush crimson.

“Um ah thanks. I’m just trying my best.” Kageyama had never been the best at receiving compliments, or any attention for that matter. He had never been a flashy person and preferred to work in the background. That's why his main job at the Crow’s Nest was managing their accounts and all of the paperwork. Oikawa was the face of the business, regularly using his charm to swep customers off their feet, while Kageyama was the brains. They played on each other’s strengths to make the business run like a well oiled machine, and for the past 5 years it had been working.

“You uh look very nice tonight.” Kageyama said lamely. It was the truth though. Hinata was dressed in a black sweater with a pair of fitted charcoal slacks that were sinfully tailored to hug the man’s form. His bright orange hair had been slightly tamed, emphasis on slightly, but Kageyama found himself wanting to run his fingers through it.

It was Hinata’s turn to blush at Kageyama’s words. Milk chocolate eyes glanced sheepishly down at the floor and he smiled, pulling his lower lip in between his teeth. Kageyama found his eyes glued to those teeth, wishing that he was the one tasting that plump pink lower lip.

Hinata looked up at Kageyama and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Rini.

“Hinata-sensei come here! I saved you the sunflower piece!” Her enthusiasm caused both men to chuckle.

“Coming coming!” He said brightly. Kageyama wondered how he was able to stand so close to the sun without being burned.

“It was really nice to see you Kageyama. Thanks again for helping us arrange this.” Hinata’s tone had softened and there was a look in his eyes that Kageyama couldn’t read. A small hand reached up to grab Kageyama’s forearm and give it a soft squeeze, and then the touch was gone as the teacher walked across the restaurant to retrieve his piece of cake.

Kageyama stood in a dazed state, the warmth from the touch enveloped him and spread from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He knew nothing romantic between them would ever come to fruition but he allowed himself to selfishly bask in the small moment, pretending that one day he might feel the warmth of the sun up close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter! Like I said the next chapter will have lots of kagehina so do not fret!


	4. New Experiences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama chaperones a field trip and Oikawa is murdered by his god daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I apologize for the short hiatus. I am really excited about this story and so I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to make it perfect. I will reread everything over and over again until I hate it and then I have no passion to write anymore. At first I felt like chapter 3 was really bad and so I stepped away for a few weeks and when I came back I realized it wasnt as bad as I thought. All of the positive feed back has really helped me and it is because of that that I am continuing this story. Honestly without it I wouldnt be able to because I just knit pick at everything until I end up hating it, but seeing that you all like it makes me feel better. This chapter is a bit longer as an apology for the break. I hope you all like it!
> 
> I redid the part where Oikawa and Iwaizumi first meet in the last chapter so if you read it before today (2/25/2020) then you should go back and reread it!
> 
> Again thank you all so much for your support! This chapter has Kagahina and IwaOi in it <3 and I really enjoyed writing it so I hope you all enjoy reading it.

The first few months of Rini going to school went by rather smoothly. The pair fell into a routine and Kageyama gradually got used to his daughter being gone for the bulk of the afternoon (it didn’t mean he liked it but he got used to it). Things at the Crow’s Nest were going smoothly, Iwaizumi had proved time and time again that he was a good hire, and business was picking up as the weather warmed. Kageyama had managed to completely avoid any and all conversations about a certain fiery haired teacher that he totally 100% did not have a crush on, but that achievement ended one Friday at afternoon pickup. He had just buckled Rini into her car seat when a semi frantic “Kageyama!” stopped him from sliding behind the steering wheel. Hinata hastily made his way across the parking lot, earning him several annoyed honks and even a rude hand gesture (Jesus they were at an elementary school. People needed to learn to control their temper). 

“Oh good I caught you!” Hinata’s light blue button up highlighted the rosiness on his cheeks and the tip of his nose. His lips were chapped and Kageyama could see the torn up pieces of skin caused by the other man biting them. Kageyama ignored the image that flashed through his head of biting those lips himself.

“Is everything alright? Rini didn’t cause any trouble today did she?” The father glanced back at the little girl who was singing along softly to the song playing on the radio, blissfully unaware of the conversation.

“Oh no no nothing like that! We are going on a class field trip next week and I was wondering if you could chaperone? The P.E. teacher was supposed to come with us but she went into labor this morning! The field trip is next Wednesday, I know it's short notice but you’d be doing me a huge favor.” Kageyama already knew about the field trip, Rini had burst out of school one afternoon with her permission slip, excitedly telling everyone at work that she was going to get to pet a shark. Getting the day off would be easy enough, one perk of owning your own business was that he didn’t have to ask permission to take time off, but spending the entire day with Hinata and a bunch of children that weren’t his own made his palms sweat. Kageyama loved his own daughter but that affection did not carry over to other children, he found most of them too loud and they were almost always covered in some kind of mess. And the idea of spending a whole day next to Hinata made his stomach twist in knots. A whole day listening to his laugh, watching his nose crinkle when he smiled, seeing those milk chocolate eyes widen in wonder at the sight of fish swimming in the tanks; god when had he gotten so soft? Blue eyes looked down into those big brown eyes that were looking up at him with a wistful hope and Kageyama could feel his resolve crumble. 

“Yea sure I can chaperone. Is there anything uh special I need to do?” A bright crooked smile lit up Hinata’s face and Kageyama swore that if scientists could harness the power of that smile they could produce enough energy to power all of Japan. 

“Nope! I just need your body!” Brown eyes widened in horror at the teacher’s choice of words but before either man could comment a small voice in the back of the car defused the situation.

“Daddy going on the field trip! Daddy we get to pet sharks! Can we take one home?! Pretty pretty please?” Kageyama was grateful for the shift in conversation but had to spend the entire car ride home explaining to his daughter that they could not keep a shark in the bathtub. 

Later that night, after Rini had gone to bed, Kageyama told Oikawa about the interaction. He was expecting crude jokes and teasing but instead got a very rare genuine smile from the other man and a soft hug. Oikawa had witnessed first hand how Umi had broken him until he was just a shell of a man, Kageyama would never truly be able to move on from his past completely but maybe he was ready to take a tiny step forward. And even if nothing came to fruition between him and Hinata, Kageyama would always have Rini and Tooru and that would always be more than enough for him. 

~~~

The following Wednesday morning Rini had shifted into hyper drive. The excitement of not only her first field trip but the fact that Kageyama was also coming had her bouncing off the walls. Her good mood was infectious and Kageyama found his own heart racing as the pulled into the school parking lot. Before they left Oikawa pulled Kageyama aside and warned him that there were going to be lots of impressionable minds around so to make sure the door to the bathroom was locked and then proceeded to hand him a package of baby wipes, a condom, and a packet of lube. Kageyama of course refused all of the items (and gave Oikawa a nice smack to the back of the head for good measure) but now that the image had creeped its way into Kageyama’s mind, it rooted itself in place, and Kageyama couldn’t seem to shake it free. 

At the school there was a large school bus sitting out front, children lined up in front of it, bouncing up and down excitedly. A small blonde woman frantically darted around, counting children and trying to keep them calm. Kageyama remembered her from the dinner, Yachi was the other kindergarten teacher at Karasuno Elementary. 

“Kageyama over here!” Hinata called to them from the sidewalk, 2 other tall dark haired men standing next to him. Rini quickly scampered off to go stand next to another little girl in line, she was a little smaller than Rini and had on a dress covered in tiny rainbow cat paw prints. 

“These are the other chaperones for the trip, Kuroo and Akaashi. Kuroo’s daughter is in my class and Akaashi’s boys are in Yachi’s.” Kageyama exchanged small bows with the other men. Kuroo was the epitome of tall dark and handsome. His coal colored hair looked like it had never seen a brush before but it somehow just made the other man more alluring, his shoulders were broad and tanned, and his quick smirk made Kageyama shiver a little bit. He was dressed in a pair of well worn jeans and a t-shirt with the logo of some American band on it, even though his outfit was nothing special it looked good. Kageyama couldn’t find any word to describe Akaashi besides beautiful. Every feature of the other man just screamed elegance, from his high cheekbones, perfect skin, to his dark blue-grey eyes. The color seemed to swirl around the other man’s irises, shifting in tone depending on the light. He was dressed much nicer than Kuroo, wearing nice khaki pants and a deep emerald sweater. Standing in front of them reminded Kageyama how very very gay he was. 

“Your kid is Rini right? Ran comes home every day talking about her. I’m glad they’ve become such good friends.” The men glanced over to the 2 little girls, Rini was talking very enthusiastically about the field trip while Ran stood quietly next to her friend, but there was a small smile on the little girls lips and she ardently listened to her friend.

After tediously loading all of the children onto the bus and taking a million head counts, they were off to the aquarium. Kageyama found himself sitting next to Hinata at the front of the bus, Yachi was in a seat by herself towards the middle, and Kuroo and Akaashi took residence together in the very back, all around them was the excited chatter of all the children. Kageyama felt his anxiety start to sit heavily in his chest. Every time the teacher next to him moved Kageyama found himself tensing up, their knees were pressed up against each other, and when Hinata turned around to say something to one of the children his thigh pressed flush against Kageyama’s. The father kept his jaw locked tight, scared his heart would leap out if he opened his mouth.

“Thank you again for coming. Today would have been extremely stressful if we were short a chaperone.” Handling 16 kids in a classroom alone had to be extremely stressful but handling 32 overly excited children in a public place had to be an entirely different beast.

“No problem. That's one of the perks of owning your own business, the only boss I have is that one.” He pointed to the seat adjacent to them where Rini currently sat with Ran, the 2 of them flipping through the booklet of different fish at the aquarium Hinata had passed out to them earlier. Hinata let out a laugh that made Kageyama’s heart flutter, he would never get tired of that laugh. 

“Well I hope you’re a model employee.” Kageyama rolled his eyes but a warm smile spread across his lips.

“It depends on the day and how much dessert I allow her to have.” The conversation between them flowed easily, and before they knew it an excited squeal from a few of the students let them know that they had arrived at the aquarium.

The field trip started off as well as it could have, with 32 children involved it was bound to have a few hiccups, but no one had fallen into a tank, got lost, or taken by a stranger so Kageyama would call it a win. The children were captivated by the exotic fish and corals in the tanks, oohing and ahhing at the animals as their tour guide told them facts about each one. The father found himself listening intently to the woman as she passionately explained the different ecosystems and adaptations each fish had for survival. Kageyama had never gotten to go to college but he always liked biology best when he was in highschool. Maybe in some alternate reality he could have been a marine biologist. 

The highlight of everyone’s day was the touch tank where 20 smooth dogfish sharks were swimming around lazily in the water. All of the adults helped the children lean over the water, allowing them to brush their fingertips along the rough skin of a shark. Kageyama smiled as Rini giddily reached into the water for her turn. His favorite thing in the world was to watch his daughter’s face light up with joy, and she was ecstatic when her father lifted her up so she could look into the water. The man just watched her as she reached in fearlessly, knowing the strong arms wrapped around her wouldn’t let her fall in. It was moments like this that made all the heartache, all the late nights, all the anxiety, worth it. Kageyama’s only purpose in life was to assure that Rini never lost her ability to smile like this, that she would never feel the pain Kageyama had.

After the shark petting it was time for lunch. Their tour guide led the class into a large domed room with glass walls. All around them swam schools of fish, sting rays, sharks, and even a few sea turtles. The light that reflected through the water shimmered and moved like waves around them, making it feel like they were submerged in the water along with all the creatures around them. Kageyama found himself just as in awe at the space as the children around him. The students sat down on the carpet, forming small grounds, while the adults passed out lunches. After they were done eating the children were instructed to pick an animal swimming around them and draw a picture of it. With the students all preoccupied the adults were able to sit back and take a much needed lunch break.

Once again Kageyama found himself situated next to Hinata, their shoulders barely touching as they leaned against the glass and ate. Yachi occupied the space on the other side of Hinata and Kuroo and Akaashi sat cross legged facing them. 

“So Akaashi how is Bo’s new job?” Kuroo looked over at the other man while taking a large bite of his onigiri, a dollop of the filling spilling out from the rice and onto his pants. 

“It’s going well. Bokuto-san is enjoying his work and he can take Hakaku and Hayato with him which they all enjoy. His old job kept him away from home often and the boys missed their father.” Akaashi’s twin boys were currently laying on their stomachs while drawing on the papers in front of them with intense concentration. Both of the children had their father’s gunmetal blue eyes and jet black hair but their personalities were more extroverted. Kageyama had seen the wedding band on Akaashi’s finger and had assumed he was married to a woman, but after Akaashi’s comment it seems that he was mistaken. Kuroo nodded his head in understanding.

“Yea it was easy to see that that job was draining the life out of him. And having my best bud around more has been pretty nice. I’m glad he gets to spend more time with the kiddos. I don’t know what I would do if I could only see Ran and Kenma every other week.” Kuroo turned and shifted his gaze to Kageyama. “What about you? I don’t see a ring on that finger.” Kageyama felt anxiety pool in his stomach, Rini’s mother was a topic he would very much like to avoid. Out of the corner of his eye Kageyama could see Hinata turn towards the conversation, only half listening to what Yachi was saying to him.

“I uh I’m not seeing anyone” Kageyama’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth and the things he wanted to say about Rini’s mother were very different than the things he should say. “And Rini’s mother isn’t in the picture. It’s just the 2 of us right now.” Thankfully none of the other men pried, all just nodding their heads in understanding.

“I get that man. I met Ran’s mom at some bar and 3 months later I get the call that she’s pregnant but she was going to some big fancy law school and didn’t have time for a baby. She drops by on holidays and Ran’s birthday but that's about it.” Kageyama was surprised at how easily and openly talked about Ran’s mother. Bitterness rose in the back of his throat as he thought about Umi and how she probably didn’t even know Rini’s birthday, at least the other woman had the decency to show up and visit her daughter occasionally. Suddenly Kageyama felt hot and the chatter of the students around him made it difficult to think. The man excused himself from the group and walked to the bathroom. 

At home everyone knew Umi was a forbidden topic, no one even hinted at the woman’s existence because when they did Kageyama couldn’t help but be overtaken by emotion. 5 years had allowed him to heal but the pain would always persist under the surface and Kageyama doubted the wound would ever truly heal. He leaned over the sink, focusing on the coolness of the water on his hands, allowing it to pull his mind out of the past and focus on the present. The soft opening of the bathroom door caused him to lift his head, he didn’t want a student to see him so upset, navy eyes fell onto the concerned face of Hinata.

“Hey.” Hinata crossed the tile floors to stand next to Kageyama, a soft hand rested on Kageyama’s forearm “Are you okay?” The taller man let out a shuttery breath, he really didn’t want to talk about this.

“Yea, I’m fine...Rini’s mom….she is a horrible person and...just thinking or talking about her kind of puts me on edge.” Hinata could sense that Kageyama didn’t want to elaborate and didn’t press the conversation any further, his hand still sat on Kageyama’s forearm, the touch was warm and grounding. 

“You’re a good man Kageyama. You take very good care of Rini and she is an amazing child. Anyone who wouldn’t want to be a part of that is missing out.” The other man’s words caused a heat to flush across Kageyama’s cheeks, a compliment from Hinata never failed to make the father feel flustered. With a sigh Kageyama stood up straight and turned off the faucet, the hand on his forearm stayed firmly in place.

“T...thank you. You’ve been a really good teacher for Rini. She comes home and talks about you every day. This transition hasn’t been easy for me but it's nice knowing that you’re the one looking after her.” The blush on his cheeks deepened and crawled down his neck. He was standing in the bathroom alone with Hinata touching him, and it felt like those big milk chocolate eyes were staring right into his soul. Kageyama didn’t like to get close to people, getting close allowed someone else to have the opportunity to hurt you, and Kageyama had faced enough hurt to last a lifetime, but the little voice in the back of his head told him he could trust Hinata. 

For a moment they just stood there and looked at each other, the warmth from Hinata’s touch spread throughout his body and chased away any cold thought of Umi from his mind. It felt like the 2 of them were wrapped in their own little bubble in the bathroom, and for the first time in a long time Kageyama wanted more, he wanted to see Hinata more than just during morning and afternoon pickup. He wanted to see the other man sleepy in the mornings, he wanted to see him at the dinner table next to Rini, or laying lazily on the couch on a Sunday afternoon. Kageyama wanted to see every side of Hinata, he wanted _more_. 

_“You’re allowed to be happy.”_ Echoed through his head as he stared at the teacher. The voice in his head told him Hinata was okay, Hinata was nothing like Umi, Hinata wouldn’t hurt them.

“Would you like to watch dinner and eat a movie with me?” After the words had left his mouth Kageyama registered that they were wrong. His face felt like it was on fire and he wished that he could dissolve into the floor, but Hinata let out a sunny laugh and wasn’t screaming or disgusted with Kageyama so maybe his botched delivery hadn’t completely ruined his attempt to ask the teacher on a date. 

“I would love to but I know this really good restaurant where we can also eat our food if that's alright with you.” The red head snickered but gave Kageyama’s forearm a soft squeeze and the raven haired man felt like he was flying. Hinata had said yes. Kageyama was going on a date, something he never thought he would do again, and instead of fear or dread he just felt joy and excitement. 

The rest of the field trip went by in a blurr, Kageyama couldn’t get his head out of the clouds as he thought about the fact that he and Hinata were going on a date. It seemed like the teacher was always standing close to him, their shoulders brushing softly as they walked and finished their tour. Kageyama was barely listening, instead he was intensely focused on trying to name the shade of Hinata’s hair. On the bus ride back they sat closer, their thighs pressed up against each other the entire ride home. Maybe it was because they were on a school bus, but Kageyama felt like he was in highschool all over again, his palms were sweaty and his heart thumped rapidly in his chest just from the simple contact. As they turned to the road the school was on Hinata leaned in close.

“I’ll text you later about dinner okay?” Just the feeling of Hinata’s shoulder pressed up against him and his warm breath on his skin made Kageyama feel like he was going to pass out. All he could manage was a sharp nod and a small smile in response. 

The bus ride home was much quieter than the one going to the aquarium, the excitement of the trip had drained the kids and now most of them were asleep as they pulled into the school. The adults slowly got everyone off the bus and into the cars of waiting parents. Kageyama held a yawning Rini in his arms as they walked to their car. He waved goodbye to both Kuroo and Akaashi as the men moved to their own vehicles with their children. They had all exchanged phone numbers and were planning on getting all of the kids together at some point over the weekend. Rini was ecstatic at the prospect of a play date and had already decided that it had to be at the Crow’s Nest so she could show her friends how cool the bed and breakfast was. 

After Kageyama had buckled Rini into her seat he felt his phone buzz, opening it he saw he had a text message from Hinata. The message was a picture of Kageyama lifting Rini up so she could pet the sharks in the touch tank. Her face was lit up with pure joy as she reached into the tank and Kageyama had a smile spread across his own face as he watched her. The father felt his heart swell in his chest and it grew until it threatened to explode out of him. He had a million pictures of Rini on his phone but he had very few of him with his daughter, and none of them were candid moments like this one. The moment Hinata caught on his camera was precious, his favorite part of today was getting to see Rini’s excitement as she pet the sharks, and now Kageyama would have it forever. He typed out a quick thank you to the other man and then quickly made the picture his screen saver. 

~~~

After they got back to the Crow’s Nest Rini had made a bee line for the kitchen to tell Tsukishima and Iwaizumi all about her day. The little girl had taken an immediate liking to the waiter, and much to Kageyama’s relief the fondness was reciprocated. Kageyama moved to the front desk where Oikawa and Daichi were currently sitting, both of them focused on the computer screen in front of them. Oikawa immediately noticed Kageyama’s happy mood, the brunette had had years to master the art of reading Kageyama and was very proficient. 

“Did you and Chibi-chan have fun today?” He rolled the word fun around on his tongue like a child would candy, he savored it and drew it out long and slow. Kageyama rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose at Oikawa’s suggestive tone. 

“We had perfectly kosher and child friendly fun at the aquarium, but…” A heat rushed to Kageyama’s cheeks as they flushed carmine “I did ask him on a date.” His voice dropped at the confession, even though he was excited he was still apprehensive and he didn’t need the whole world to know he was going on a date with his daughter’s teacher. The other 2 men balked at him, and for a few moments everyone just stood there in silence. Kageyama had said time and time again that he would never date again, that all he needed was Rini and he was happy, so the fact that he liked someone enough to go against that statement was a shock to everyone. Oikawa, not surprisingly, was the first to speak.

“Tobio-chan that’s amazing!” He moved and pulled Kageyama into a tight hug, which was begrudgingly returned. “We need to take you shopping! We don’t want Chibi-chan running off because of your horrible sense of fashion.” Kageyama just rolled his eyes and pushed Oikawa off of him.

“I see him 5 days a week, he knows how I dress and if it bothered him he wouldn’t have said yes. Dumbass.” Daichi reached over and clapped Kageyama on the back.

“That’s awesome Kags. He must be a really great guy.” Hinata was great. He was sweet, funny, cute, and everything about him made Kageyama buzz, but of course he wasn’t going to say any of that to the other men so he just gave a nod. 

“It must be opposite day because both Tobio-chan and Dai-chan have dates and I don’t.” Oikawa pouted, crossing his arms and letting out a pitiful (and overly dramatic) huff. Kageyama arched an eyebrow as Daichi blushed at the statement.

“You have a date too Daichi? With who?” It wasn’t like Daichi hadn’t dated in the past, the other man wasn’t as reserved about it as Kageyama and Oikawa, but he hadn’t mentioned seeing anyone to Kageyama.

“Ha well it’s kind of a funny story…” 

“The night of the teacher dinner the cute receptionist with the grey hair got tipsy and Dai-chan ran into him in the bathroom.” Oikawa flashed a brilliant smile as he quickly relayed the information. Daichi just closed his eyes and sighed, all too used to Oikawa meddling in his love life at this point. 

“Suga had had a little too much wine with dinner and I ran into him in the bathroom at the restaurant. I was working late because Tsukishima had called me earlier that evening and said the AC in the kitchen had gone out. When I met Suga he…” Daichi coughed nervously and rubbed his eyes, his cheeks were flushed deep scarlet “He began to flirt with me and when I told him I was not currently seeing anyone he wrote his phone number down on my arm and um told me to call him.”

“And I take it you did?” Kageyama remembered Suga from the few times he had come in contact with the other man. He was cute, a few inches shorter than Kageyama and more slender in build. Every time Kageyama had seen him the man always had a bright smile on his face, and he wondered if the receptionist was even capable of frowning.

“Yea, I did. Suga was mortified when I did, but I thought it was cute. We’re going to see a movie this Saturday.” 

“You’re going to the movies with Suga-san?” The men’s attention turned to Rini who was currently being held by Iwaizumi as the pair walked up to reception. The question was innocent but caused a deep scarlet flush to spread across Daichi’s cheeks. Oikawa snickered as he watched Daichi squirm, a mischievous glint in his eyes, Kageyama wondered if his best friend wasn’t actually the devil incarnate sometimes.

“Um yes I am, Rini.”

“Do you like Suga-san?” The question caused Daichi to sputter and cough. Oikawa’s glee was growing with each question his god-daughter asked. It was like watching a cat play with a mouse, an evil cat with a giant ego and a weird obsession with space. 

“Yes, Bunny-chan Daichi does like Suga-san.” Kageyama rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He was about to come to poor Daichi’s rescue before Rini spoke again.

“Kind of how you like Iwa-chan?” That caused Oikawa to freeze, all mischief vanished from his face and was replaced with horror. All eyes quickly moved to the brunette, suddenly the cat found himself surrounded by a pack of dogs and the game was not as fun when the roles were reversed.

The normally golden tongued Oikawa just stood there dumbly, sputtering out the beginnings for words but never fully forming them. Kageyama watched a mischievous smirk spread across Daichi’s face, the other man was usually a pillar of reason and calm, but one never passed up the opportunity to torment Oikawa Tooru.

“How does your uncle like Iwaizumi, Rini?” Daichi was clearly taking advantage of the present karma had given him, it was neatly wrapped and had a bright red bow on top, suddenly it felt like Christmas. Anyone who said revenge was best served cold had clearly never seen Oikawa Tooru rendered speechless with embarrassment. Iwaizumi stood expressionless, green eyes looking lazily between the little girl in his arms and the sputtering fool in front of him.

“Well I heard Uncle Tooru tell Daddy that Iwa-chan is a hot piece of meat!” Silence stretched between the four men at the girls exclamation. Kageyama was pretty sure that Oikawa had stopped breathing, any minute he expected the brunette to dissolve into the floor or internally combust from sheer embarrassment. The taller man just stood there, rendered speechless from the little girl’s statement. 

A quick gasp of air from Iwaizumi is what finally broke the silence, and then all hell broke loose. Kageyama and Daichi doubled over in silent laughter, desperately trying to wheeze out insults, but they only succeeded in making themselves laugh harder. Iwaizumi’s whole body shook with his laughter, emerald eyes trained on the brunette. And above all was the light happy giggling of Rini, who didn’t understand that she had just shattered every ounce of pride Oikawa had with her exclamation. 

“Bunny-chan would you like to come to the backyard with me?” Oikawa had finally regained his composure once the other three men had calmed down, their need to breath finally putting an end to their shenanigans. Rini nodded her head excitedly, wiggling her way out of Iwaizumi’s arms and over to her uncle where she took his hand.

“What are we going to do in the backyard?”

“We are going to dig my grave Bunny-chan.” And with that the pair walked around the corner, leaving Kageyama, Daichi, and Iwaizumi alone behind the desk.

“So are you gonna ask him out?” Daichi finally broke the silence and all eyes turned to look at Iwaizumi. The man let out a sigh, but there was a soft smile on his lips.

“Probably. If I can ever get that idiot to look at me again.” To the untrained eye it might look like Iwaizumi and Oikawa didn’t get along. The pair constantly bickered, throwing insults and mean nicknames at each other in every conversation, but Kageyama had spent years learning the art of reading Oikawa Tooru and it was clear his relationship with Iwaizumi was different. All the gestures were small but to Kageyama they were bright beacons. Oikawa touched Iwaizumi a lot, a soft hand on his shoulder, a bump of the hip, and Iwaizumi never pushed him away. Oikawa was overly flirty with the other man but never joked about anything suggestive, and when Iwaizumi would throw out a dirty remark Oikawa would fumble with his reply and then find some excuse to vacate the room. Whenever Kageyama would try to push Oikawa about the topic of their newest employee he was met with sarcasm and a quick change of subject. Kageyama didn’t let the fact that Oikawa didn’t want to talk about it bother him, despite being a massive flirt Oikawa had been in very few serious relationships, and when they took over the bed and breakfast both of their dating lives had become nonexistent. Kageyama always let the subject change but not without a soft “You’re allowed to be happy too Tooru.”

Something in Kageyama’s bones told him that good things were about to happen to their little family. Business was going great, Rini was excelling at school, and they both were entertaining the idea of seriously dating someone. For the better half of a decade Kageyama felt like he had been tripping through life, no matter how hard he worked he couldn’t seem to get his feet under him and would always barely make it over one obstacle before the next hurdle was staring him in the face. But now things were good, and he didn’t want to jinx himself but Kageyama finally felt like he could stand, the hurdles in front of him weren’t as big anymore, and maybe he would be able to enjoy the little things in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked it! Chapter 5 is going to be the date and the play date. Full of lots of flirting, sexual innuendos, and flustered Kags.


	5. Tender Touches and Broken Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama go on their first date and Rini has her friends over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I've noticed a trend where each of my chapters are steadily getting longer. Is this a problem????? I like to try and keep things consistent but as I'm becoming more comfortable with writing and the story is progressing, I find that in order to say all the things I want to say I have to make things longer. I hope you all dont mind this inconsistency, and if you do I will try and do better from now on. 
> 
> I do want to thank you all SO MUCH for the support you have given this fic. Every time I see a new message in my inbox it makes me so happy!!! I am so excited that you all are enjoying this story so much and have such high praise for it. It makes me so excited to write each chapter and finish it for you all. I am being very honest when I tell you that there is no way I would be able to do this without your encouragement. So to everyone who has left a comment or a kudos THANK YOU <3 You all make it so rewarding to write this story. 
> 
> Trigger Warning!!!  
> I have updated some of the tags and in this chapter you get a small glimpse at what Kageyama went through in the past. If you have suffered from domestic violence or physical abuse in the past and find reminders of that painful then please read until (Hinata reached out to steady him) and the control f to (In 5 minutes)

Kageyama had been sitting in his room for the past hour trying on every shirt he owned, unhappy with how each one of them looked on him. He could hear Oikawa in the living room with Rini, coaxing the little girl to eat her vegetables (though Kageyama had a sneaking suspicion that once he was gone the vegetables would end up in the garbage). Oikawa had agreed to spend the night and watch Rini for him while he went on his _date_ with Hinata. Kageyama still found himself repeating the word date in his head over and over again, unable to come to terms with the fact that he was going on a date and he was actually excited to do so. 

The man glanced at his phone, he didn’t have time to flip flop between outfits anymore if he wanted to be on time. Hinata had told him the restaurant was casual so Kageyama settled on a white t-shirt, a pair of dark wash jeans, and threw on his jean jacket so it looked like he had some semblance of style. He gave himself once last look in the mirror before looking at the clock again, this had to be good enough because he was out of time. When he walked out of his room and into the main living space of the house he immediately received a low whistle from Oikawa. 

“My my Tobio-chan.” The other man was sitting at the small dining room table next to Rini. He did a twirling motion with his finger, and Kageyama rolled his eyes but turned around in a circle to appease his friend. 

“You look nice Daddy! Where are you going?” The father grimaced at the question. He and Hinata had agreed to not tell Rini about...whatever was happening between the 2 of them. She was his student after all and the men didn’t want any kind of confusion or rumors wandering around the school. 

“I’m going to see a movie with a friend Rini. I won’t be back until after you’re in bed so make sure you’re good for Uncle Tooru okay?” The father bent over and pressed a soft kiss to the crown of his daughter’s head, her hair still slightly damp from her bath earlier. He was conflicted about leaving her. Kageyama knew he was blessed, he had a gorgeous and healthy daughter, a successful business, and a strong group of people who cared and supported him. 5 years ago Kageyama was positive he would have been dead by now. The prospect of having more, of having something that looked like a normal and happy life, both thrilled and terrified him. 

His last long term relationship had drained the life from him, taking every good thought and happy memory and burning it to ash. He was scared to open up to someone again. If he was letting someone into his life he was also letting them into Rini’s, and the father refused to put her in harms way. A flick to the forehead ended his soliloquy and blue eyes looked up to meet Oikawa’s steady gaze.

“Tobio-chan you shouldn’t think so hard. You’re brain isn’t used to it. Now get going so Bunny-chan and I can finally have some fun!” The small girl burst into a fit of giggles as she told her Uncle about the new cartoon she wanted to show him. Oikawa gave him a soft smile that said _“You’re fine. Everything will be fine.”_ and then shooed him away with the flick of his hand. 

Kageyama took a deep breath, gave his daughter one last kiss on the head, and made his way out the door, desperately trying to force down the panic rising in his throat. 

When he got to the restaurant he saw Hinata already standing by the door. The other man was unaware of his presence and Kageyama allowed himself a moment to take in the sight before him. 

Hinata had his hands clasped behind his back, and he was rocking from heel to toe as he looked at the pond that was situated across the road. He was wearing dark wash jeans similar to Kageyama’s, a bright blue sweater that had some American sports team logo on it, and red high top sneakers. If Kageyama didn’t know him, he would have assumed the other man was a college student. His bright red hair had an ethereal glow, creating a soft halo around Hinata’s head, like the ring around the moon during an eclipse. 

Finally, Hinata turned around and milk chocolate eyes landed on him, Kageyama glanced down to the ground, a flush rushing across his cheeks at the fact that he had been caught staring. 

“Come on Yamayama lets eat!” There was a bright excitement in his voice that made Kageyama’s own heart pick up a beat. He made is way over to Hinata and followed him inside. 

The restaurant wasn’t anything special, just a small family owned ramen shop. They got a small table in the corner and Kageyama immediately picked up a menu, trying to hide all of his nervousness behind the laminated pages. 

Hinata didn’t seem to mind, humming something softly under his breath while he looked at the menu himself. Kageyama felt like an idiot but when he tried to open his mouth to say something his throat closed around the words, smothering them before they had the chance to leave his lips. The waitress came by to take their order, which Kageyama barely croaked out, and then his safety blanket was taken away and the only thing left for his eyes to settle on was Hinata. 

“You don’t need to be nervous. This can just be a friends date if you want.” Hinata didn’t sound upset, the exact opposite actually, he seemed content to move at whatever pace Kageyama needed to. The teacher rested his chin on his palm and gave Kageyama a soft warm smile. 

“I-I’m sorry...I just...I don’t do this.” 

“It can be hard to date as a single parent, especially with one as young as Rini. I understand.” Kageyama didn’t tell him that it wasn’t just because he was a single parent. He didn’t tell him about Umi and how she made him feel like he was unworthy of love. 

“What movie do you want to go see?” The idea of a movie made Kageyama relax a bit. There he wouldn’t have to keep a conversation and try not to look like an idiot, and hopefully the distraction would help ease his anxiety. Hinata pondered his question, tapping his pointer finger gently on his cheek. 

“The local theater is doing a special showing of all the Studio Ghibli movies tonight. We can go to whatever one of those they’re running when we get there.” 

“Are they any good?” Hinata looked at him incredulously, mouth agape. Kageyama’s mind started the reel, had he said something wrong?

“You’re telling me you’ve never seen a Studio Ghibli movie?! They’re cinematic masterpieces! Okay we’re watching 1 tonight but I have them all on DVD, trust me after watching 1 you’ll want to watch them all.” Hinata started to go in depth about the movies and how beautiful their animation was. How each of the stories were uniquely woven together and how the worlds created for each movie were fantastical. Kageyama found himself relaxing as Hinata spoke. The room around them seemed brighter because of Hinata’s presence, like their table was enveloped in the warmth that radiated off the other man. 

The waitress came by and set large heaping bowls of ramen down in front of them; it looked delicious. Kageyama reached over and grabbed the bottle of Sriracha at the table, giving it a hearty squeeze. Hinata picked up the bottle and mirrored the action, he then leaned over to glance into Kageyama’s bowl, locked eyes with him, and then proceeded to put in an extra squeeze, smiling triumphantly and placing the bottle back down on the table. 

The raven haired man just sat and stared at the teacher with a disbelieving look. Was Hinata challenging him? 

“Oi, what was that for?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Yamayama.” There was a playful lilt in his tone and a devious glint in his eyes, he knew exactly what Kageyama was talking about. Okay, 2 could play it that game. Kageyama picked up the bottle and pumped it 2 more times. This back and forth continued until a quarter of the bottle had been emptied into their ramen, the once pale yellow broth was now a dangerous crimson. Kageyama knew it was a mistake to put that much in his ramen but he couldn’t back away from a challenge.

“The last one to finish has to buy the snacks.” Hinata twirled his chopsticks in his fingers and gave Kageyama a look that made him feel like he had walked right into the other man’s trap.

“You’re on."

Kageyama was only able to get through half of his bowl before he had to raise a white flag, begging the waitress for more water to sooth his burning tongue. His lips stung and felt twice their normal size and his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. 

Hinata on the other hand slurped up his noodles without batting an eye, even going so far as to drain the broth until the bowl was entirely empty. Kageyama had definitely fallen into his trap. 

“You tricked me.” Kageyama muttered bitterly as they left the restaurant and began walking to the movie theater. 

“Hey its not my fault you can’t handle spicy food Bakageyama!” But a few moments later Hinata dragged Kageyama into a convenience store and bought him ice cream, the cool treat felt like heaven against Kageyama’s still blistered lips. 

They walked in silence, each enjoying their frozen dessert, but the silence wasn’t awkward like before. Kageyama was acutely aware how close they were, their shoulders bumping together as they made their way down the sidewalk, occasionally Hinata’s fingers would graze his but the contact never went further. Kageyama found himself overwhelmed by the innocent touches and craving more all at the same time. 

Kageyama had never experienced a date like this before. Hinata had put no pressure on him to perform a certain way, he was able to tease and joke and it was okay. Instead of walking on eggshells, terrified about every word that came out of his mouth, he was able to relax and actually enjoy himself. That was until Kageyama stumbled a bit on the sidewalk. Hinata reached out to steady him and Kageyama accidentally smashed his ice cream cone into the sleeve of the other man’s sweatshirt. 

Kageyama’s blood ran cold as he watched the half melted vanilla swirl seep into the blue cotton and drip onto the sidewalk. His whole body went rigid and he waited for the screaming, for the cursing, for the palm across his face. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hinata’s arm move and he couldn’t help but flinch away. Instead of a harsh smack there was a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey Kageyama, it's okay. It was just an accident.” Hinata’s voice wasn’t shrill and his words weren’t bitter. His thumb rubbed soft circles into Kageyama’s shoulder, just like he did on Rini’s first day of school when he noticed Kageyama panicking. Milk chocolate eyes looked up at Kageyama and he couldn’t read the expression held in them. 

“I..I’m so sorry.” The words were shaky and came out in a pitiful croak. Even if Hinata wasn’t yelling at him Kageyama couldn’t stop his heart from pounding. Hinata reached out for him with his other hand, moving slowly like you would with a frightened animal. This hand landed on Kageyama’s other arm and began to rub up and down against his forearm with long soft strokes. Kageyama took a deep breath and focused on the contact, grounding himself in the gentle gestures.

“It’s alright. I’m not mad okay? It’s just a little ice cream, it’ll wash out.” Kageyama didn’t trust his voice again so he just gave a soft nod. He felt ashamed. First, he had made a mess all over Hinata’s sweater, and then he had completely over reacted and ruined the relaxed atmosphere. It sure didn’t take long for him to ruin their good night, and now that Hinata’s sweater was all sticky he doubted they would be seeing a movie. 

Hinata withdrew his hands from Kageyama’s arms and in one swift motion pulled the sweater over his head, revealing a plain gray t-shirt underneath. He folded the sweater and hung it over his arm.

“See no big deal!” The smile he flashed at Kageyama was blinding. There wasn’t a single trace of anger or resentment in his features. The smile wasn’t a cool fake one because they were in public, one that looked sweet on the outside but was rotten beneath the surface. No this one was bright and warm and thawed the tenseness in Kageyama’s shoulders. 

“Come on the movie theater isn’t much farther!” The hand that wasn’t holding his sweater wrapped loosely around Kageyama’s wrist and pulled him along. Hinata’s fingers weren’t digging into his skin and he wasn’t jerking Kageyama along behind him like a dog on a leash. 

In 5 minutes they had made it to the movie theater. Hinata literally leaped for joy when the cashier told them that the next movie playing was Kiki’s Delivery Service. Kageyama had never heard of it before but Hinata assured him that it was one of the best (granted he said that about all of them). 

As per the rules of their eating contest Kageyama bought all of the snacks, letting Hinata pick out whatever he wanted as an apology for the sweater. They sat in 2 seats in the back row of the theater and didn't have to wait long for the theater to darken and the movie start to play across the large silver screen. Kageyama was skeptical he would enjoy the movie after listening to Hinata’s quick summary, but he found himself engrossed in the whimsical story line. He couldn’t help but think of Rini when looking at Kiki in her little blue dress and bright red bow. 

When they exited the theater Kageyama was forced to exasperatedly admit that it was very good and he would enjoy watching more of the movies.

“Ha I knew you’d love them! Now you have to hang out with me again so we can watch the rest of them together.” Kageyama was surprised at how excited the smaller man seemed at the idea of another night together. After making a mess of his sweater earlier Kageyama was sure that he had ruined everything, but Hinata had reassured him several times that it was just a sweater and the ice cream would come out easily. 

The sun had long set by the time they made it onto the sidewalk and the air had turned crisp in its absence. Guilt washed over Kageyama as he watched Hinata shudder when left the warmth of the theater and stepped out onto the sidewalk. 

“Here.” Quickly, he shrugged off his jean jacket and draped it over the other man’s shoulders to give him some respite from the chill.

“But now you’ll be cold.”

“I ruined your sweater though, its the least I can do.” Hinata threw his head back with an exasperated groan. Kageyama felt his muscles tense. 

“Kageyama you didn’t ruin anything. I had a lot of fun tonight, even after you accidentally, the key word there is accident, split a little bit of ice cream on me. I work with kindergartners, do you really think that's the worst thing that has ever been dropped on me? I have had pretty much every bodily fluid spilled on me at one point in time.” Kageyama wrinkled his nose in disgust and caused Hinata to let out a bright laugh. The shorter man reached out and loosely grabbed Kageyama’s fingers, stopping them on the sidewalk. 

The contact made electricity shoot through Kageyama’s veins. He felt every nerve ending in his hand sizzle against Hinata’s touch. The teacher looked up at him with a gentle smile, like the soft rays of the sun in spring. It was just enough to be pleasantly warm but not harsh enough to burn your skin. 

“I like being around you Kageyama, a lot, and I’d like to be around you more. And we can just be friends and if at some point in the future you’d like to be more than that then that’s okay too, but I don’t expect anything. I just enjoy your company, its as simple as that.” 

His words knocked the wind out of Kageyama’s lungs. Hinata wanted to be around him, Hinata _liked_ being around him and there wasn’t some catch at the end of his statement. 

“I...I like being around you too. And and being friends right now would be nice.” The warmth from Hinata’s smile melted all the anxiety and fear in Kageyama’s chest. Everything about Hinata was so new to Kageyama, the way he reacted to everything was the opposite to everything he had ever experienced in the past. Where Umi was poisonous and cold, Hinata was thoughtful and warm. Kageyama didn’t know what to do with this new relationship but he wanted to hold it tenderly, cradling it close to his heart so it wouldn’t fall and shatter. 

As they walked back to their cars Hinata didn’t drop his hand away from Kageyama’s and Kageyama didn’t pull away. He focused all of his attention on the soft feeling of Hinata’s fingers against his, determined to memorize the way the other man’s skin felt against his own. They got to where their cars were parked far too quickly in Kageyama’s opinion. Finally, Hinata’s hand fell away from his own and immediately the taller man missed the contact.

Hinata started to shrug off Kageyama’s jacket but the latter put up a hand to stop him.

“Just keep it for now. You can give it to me the next time we watch a movie.” The comment made Hinata smile for the millionth time that night and Kageyama found himself just as enamored with this one as he was with the first, and he knew he would feel the exact same way when he saw it for the billionth time. 

“Good night Kageyama.” 

When Kageyama got home he found Oikawa watching some horrible reality TV in the living room, having made himself comfortable in Kageyama’s pajamas. Rini was tucked in to her bed, sound asleep, and Kageyama made sure to place a light kiss on her forehead so he didn’t wake her up. 

“How was your date with Chibi-chan?” Kageyama found himself replaying the whole night in his head. He remembered smiling, laughing, and warm touches. It felt like he had been stuck under a rain cloud and for the first time the sun had broken through. 

“It was….amazing. I’m really happy.” Saying it out loud made Kageyama realize how true the statement was. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been happy before, Rini brought him all the joy he could ever ask for, Tooru was a good friend, and he loved his job and employees, but the part of his life that Hinata belonged in was a part Kageyama swore he would never need again. It was a part of his heart he deemed unrepairable, a lost cause, and therefore he locked it up and threw away the key. But somehow Hinata had found the key, and even though it was rusted it still worked, and maybe they could put that part of Kageyama back together again. It would never be pristine but maybe one day it would be whole. 

~~~

After the field trip on Wednesday, Kageyama had texted Akaashi and Kuroo to arrange a playdate over the weekend. Rini had become fast friends with Ran, and Kageyama wanted to make sure to give his daughter as many opportunities as possible to form a close relationship with other children. He had never had many friends growing up and he wanted to make sure Rini didn’t suffer the same isolation. Kuroo had work all weekend but said his partner could come by with Ran so they all agreed on Sunday afternoon for the playdate.

Rini had excitedly gone around to all of the staff and told them about her friends and that they were coming over, but she assured them all that they would always be her best friends (Asahi may or may not have cried a little at the comment). His daughter’s love for the Crow’s Nest and everyone who worked there made Kageyama’s heart swell. Rini was surrounded by people who adored her, they were her family, and Kageyama knew he had made the right decision opening this business with Oikawa. It hadn’t been easy, and it definitely wasn’t traditional, but Rini was happy and loved and that was all that mattered to Kageyama. 

At noon on the dot the front doors of the Crow’s Nest opened and 2 men holding the hands of 2 small boys walked into the lobby.

“Hey, hey, hey! This place is really nice!”

“Bokuto-san not so loud. This is a hotel.” Kageyama immediately recognized Akaashi and his sons, and based on context clues he assumed that the other man was Akaashi’s husband. To say that Kageyama was surprised that this new man was Akaashi’s husband would have been an understatement. While the former was quiet, elegant, and had an air of mystery about him, the other man was the exact opposite. His hair was white and black and gelled up into a ridiculous hairstyle. He was broad and tanned, a sharp juxtaposition to Akaashi’s graceful slenderness. And in the 5 seconds Kageyama had been around the other man he knew he was not quiet. 

“Kageyama-san it is nice to see you again. You have a beautiful business, thank you very much for inviting us. This is my husband Bokuto-san.” His free hand gestured to the man standing next to him. Bright golden eyes stared at Kageyama with glee akin to that of a child looking through the front window of a candy store. 

“Yea this place is sweet! The boys are super excited to play. Aren’t you guys?” All eyes fell down to the small figures of the 2 boys between them. Similar to Bokuto they looked around with bright eyes, large smiles plastered on their faces. 

“We brought all of our favorite toys!” Each child had on a small Spiderman themed backpack, both looked stuffed to the brim, like every toy the children owned was their favorite. 

“Has Kenma-san arrived yet?” Kageyama had learned that Kenma was Kuroo’s partner, he was surprised to find another gay couple with a child. While same sex couples now had equal rights, there was still a strong stigma surrounding them, especially those with children. In the city it wasn’t as big of an issue, but out here in a small mountain town Kageyama was surprised (pleasantly so) to see so many people open about their sexuality. It made him hum happily when he thought about Hinata and where he hoped their relationship would go. 

“No they’re not here yet, but Rini is in the dining room. We can go in there while we wait.”

“Can we have chocolate milk!?” 2 sets of bright steel blue eyes looked up at him with hopeful expressions. 

“Hakaku don’t be rude.” Akaashi flashed Kageyama an apologetic look. It was clear that they boys took after Bokuto’s more extroverted personality. The group walked into the quiet dining room, Rini was situated at one of the tables, the entire top covered with various coloring sheets and art supplies. She let out a happy squeal when she saw the twin boys walk into the room, scrambling down from her chair and rushing over to greet them. Quickly, the quiet room was filled with the excited chatter of children as Hakaku and Hayato unceremoniously dumped the contents of their backpacks onto the floor to show Rini their treasures. 

Akaashi’s face paled as he looked down at the mess his children had made in the middle of the restaurant, but Bokuto ran a steady hand down his partner’s back and flashed him a reassuring smile. 

“It’s fine. It won’t take long to clean up.” The shorter man took a deep breath and gave a solemn nod, a small smile spread across his face as he watched the boys happily show Rini their favorite action figures. 

Kageyama watched the exchange from a distance, and he felt a pang of jealousy in his chest. With one gentle gesture and a few soft words Bokuto had managed to calm Akaashi down. Kageyama had never experienced a love like that before, one where a touch from your partner didn’t cause you to flinch away or leave you with red marks across your skin. His mind flashed back to his date with Hinata, their soft touches had exhilarated Kageyama, and how gentle he had been when Kageyama was panicking. Was it possible for the 2 of them to have something like what Akaashi and Bokuto had one day? Did they already have something like that? Could Kageyama ever trust someone enough that a few tender touches and soft words could reassure him, or would the phantom touches of Umi’s hands on him haunt him forever? 

“Ah hello Kenma-san and Ran-chan.” Akaashi’s quiet voice brought Kageyama’s attention back to the dining room. He quickly recognized Ran, Rini ran over to the smaller girl and pulled her over to the pile of toys, chattering excitedly about a game Hakaku and Hayato had created that they were going to play. For the second time that afternoon Kageyama found himself surprised by the person he saw. 

Kenma was small, much smaller than Kuroo, his half bleached hair was pulled into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck and several pieces had fallen out and framed his narrow face. He had large golden eyes that reminded Kageyama of a cat, and they flicked over and landed on him. 

“Hello Keiji. Hello Koutarou. I’m sorry we are late.” His voice was gentle like Akaashi’s. Kenma turned to face Kageyama, giving him a small bow. “Hello Kageyama. My name is Kozume Kenma. Thank you for inviting Ran over to play, she has been very excited.” Kageyama gave an awkward smile and half bow back.

“Thank you guys for coming. Rini hasn’t stopped talking about this all week. We can all go to the house if you’d like.” The adults nodded and helped the children gather the toys and art supplies from the dining room and then Kageyama led them through the backdoors and towards the house where he and Rini lived.

“It must be convenient to live on sight.” Akaashi said quietly beside him as they walked through the grass. Kageyama hummed in agreement as he opened the front door, Rini rushed past him dragging Ran along with her, Hakaku and Hayato were hot on their heels. 

“Yea its nice. I do get the occasional rude customer though who thinks because I live here they can come knock on my door at any hour of the night.” The sound of the children’s voices could be heard from Rini’s room and the adults all moved into the living room. The space was modest, the furniture was simple, but there was enough room for the 4 of them. 

“Would you like anything to drink? I have tea, water, milk, and Capri Sun packets.” Kageyama found himself floundering for something to do. What did parents even do during playdates? It wasn’t like they were all good friends who needed to catch up, and it seemed like Bokuto was the only sociable one between the 4 of them. Both Kenma and Akaashi accepted the offer of tea, Bokuto asking for a glass of water. By the time he returned to the living room with the refreshments Bokuto was animatedly sharing a story with Kenma, waving his hands and arms around excitedly, his volume just a hairs width from yelling. 

“You should have seen it Kenma! This kid is like a sharp shooter with his serves, there is no way we’re not going to Nationals now!” Akaashi must have noticed Kageyama’s confused expression because he turned away from Bokuto to explain.

“Bokuto-san coaches the volleyball team at Fukurodani University.”

“Yup! I used to play professionally for the Black Jackals but I was on the road a lot. Now I’m only gone for away games and I can bring the kiddos to practice with me! Hakaku loves it but Hayato says he likes baseball more.” Akaashi rolled his eyes at his husband’s pout at that last statement. Kageyama had played volleyball in highschool, he would have loved to play in college but he had met Umi and all of his dreams washed away. 

“I used to play volleyball in highschool. I was a setter.” Bokuto lit up at his words, it was like the other man was vibrating with excitement.

“Woah no way! Kuroo and I all played together in highschool. Akaashi was the setter at his high school but we never played against each other. I know he would have been the best setter ever though.” He leaned into his husband and planted a large sloppy kiss on his cheek, clearly Bokuto didn’t mind public displays of affection, Akaashi on the other hand blushed scarlet and mumbled that Bokuto was being ridiculous. 

At some point during the interaction Kenma had pulled out a portable game system and was tuning them out, focused intently on the screen in front of him. Judging by the way Akaashi and Bokuto weren’t bothered by this, it led Kageyama to believe that this was a regular occurrence. 

“I’m going to go check on the rugrats, make sure everyone is playing fair.” Bokuto stood leaving Kageyama alone in the living room with Akaashi and Kenma. So far the visit hadn’t gone as horribly as Kageyama feared it would have, he enjoyed the company of the other men, and Rini was enjoying spending time with her friends. 

“So Kageyama-san, do you run the Crow’s Nest alone?” 

“No, I co-own it with Rini’s godfather, we’ve been friends for a long time and even though he’s a huge pain in my ass he’s a good business partner.” Sundays were Oikawa’s day off. When they first opened the Crow’s Nest all 3 of them lived in the house together, Rini and Kageyama sharing a room while Oikawa stayed in the other. Once business became more stable and they were experienced in what it took to run a business Oikawa moved out into his own apartment, claiming that Kageyama was “cramping his style”. While it was nice to have his own space, some nights Kageyama found himself missing the little rituals he and Oikawa had formed while living together. 

“Kenma-san owns his own business.” The comment earned a soft sigh from the other man.

“I don’t own my own business Keiji.” Golden eyes flicked up to look at Kageyama, a small tongue swiped nervously over his bottom lip. “I play video games professionally. I don’t run any kind of business.”

“Your business is your brand Kenma-san. You’re very popular online, managing your accounts and your image is like running a business.” Now Kageyama understood why no one reacted when Kenma pulled out his game to play, he was probably constantly playing games. He was a bit surprised though, typically people who had online careers had large personalities to entertain their viewers but Kenma was quiet and reserved. But Kageyama had just met the man so maybe he should hold his judgement until they became more acquainted. 

Bokuto sauntered back into the room, his hair adorned by a plethora of brightly colored clips and bows and a large smile that was spread across his face. The 3 other men chuckled at his new accessories. 

“I’m not used to having little girls around. They gave me those big puppy dog eyes, how could I say no?” Kenma pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Bokuto, the latter even threw up a peace sign for added flare, and then began tapping away at his phone. 

“Kuroo says you look adorable.” For awhile the conversation between them all flowed comfortably. Kageyama found out that Akaashi was an author, Bokuto proudly exclaiming that he had several books that were best sellers. Kuroo was a police officer, which didn’t surprise Kageyama in the slightest based off of his large frame and intimidating stature. 

Eventually the children left Rini's room and filed into the living room asking for snacks. Kageyama and Akaashi made their way into the kitchen to prepare food for everyone. 

“Bokuto your family has 2 Daddies right?” Rini’s question floated in from the living room and stopped Kageyama mid peel of the orange in his hand, even though several weeks had passed since their conversation he still thought about it often. 

“We sure do kiddo. You see this ring here? It means Akaashi is going to be with me forever.” There was a slight pause before Rini spoke again.

“I don’t have a Mommy but Daddy told me that a family doesn’t have to have a Mommy. That as long as you love each other then you are family. Do you love Akaashi?” Bokuto let out a rich and hearty laugh.

“Your Dad is right Rini, your family are the people who love you most in the world. And this ring also means that I promised Akaashi that I will love him for the rest of my life.”

“I want Daddy to get a ring like this. I want someone to love him forever” The statement made Kageyama’s chest ache. Even at 5 Rini was amazingly thoughtful and empathetic. Kageyama looked over to see Akaashi watching him with a thoughtful expression, he had finished slicing the apples and bananas for the kids, even spreading them out onto the plate to look like a flower. 

When they went out into the living room Rini was situated on Bokuto’s lap, her hands wrapped around his fingers and playing with the gold band he wore. Bokuto looked up at him with the same soft expression Akaashi wore in the kitchen. Kageyama found himself shrinking under the gaze, he didn’t want to be pitied for being a single father, it was far better than any alternative. 

The children polished off their snack and then climbed up onto the laps of their parents to watch a movie, none of them making it through even a quarter of it before their eyes dropped closed, the excitement from their playdate having worn them out. Kageyama went and tucked Rini into her bed, her room looked as if a tornado had run through it with all of her toys and art supplies scattered about every surface. When he went back into the living room all of the other men had scooped up their own children and were heading for the door. 

They all exchanged goodbyes and thank yous, promising to make these get-togethers a regular occurrence since the children enjoyed each other's company so much. Before he left Akaashi turned around to face Kageyama, a drooling Hayato snuggled into his shoulder. 

“Rini is a sweet little girl and it is obvious how much she loves and cares for you. If there was a certain someone” Steel blue eyes flashed Kageyama a look so intense he felt as if Akaashi was looking into his soul. “in your life you shouldn’t be scared that she wouldn’t handle it well. I believe she would be very excited for you.” Akaashi had been on the field trip with them, had it been that obvious that he had a crush on Hinata? How could Akaashi know Kageyama’s concerns surrounding their relationships when he barely knew him? The dark haired man just turned and walked out the door, leaving Kageyama staring silently as he walked away. 

The father closed the door and walked back into the house, rubbing his hands over his face. He thought about Akaashi’s words, about what Rini had said earlier, about the interactions between Akaashi and Bokuto, how he felt about Hinata, about all the times Oikawa told him that it was his turn to be happy. Maybe Kageyama wanted someone to love him forever, and maybe he knew who that someone was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter! With all of this crazy Corona Virus stuff happening it looks like I am going to have a lot more time on my hands to write so hopefully the next chapter will be out soon <3 Right now I have no idea what I'm going to make it about so it will be a surprise for both of us!


	6. Lost in the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama and Hinata have a conversation about the next step in their relationship and just when things are starting to get good Kageyama's past comes back to haunt him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is gonna hurt....a lot... There is a Trigger Warning but there is no need for a summary because all you will be missing is his panic attack. The remaining chapters will be focused heavily around Kageyama's past abuse from now on. I also want to explain why I write Kageyama the way that I do.
> 
> First, Kageyama is an unreliable narrator. He perceives Hinata as perfect when in reality no one is perfect.  
> Second, it is difficult for Kageyama to see that he has a strong support system. After so long of being on his own it is difficult for him to realize that other people care and support him. He trusts Oikawa so much because Oikawa was there through all the abuse in the past, but it is difficult for him to see that the rest of the staff supports him in the same way. Kageyama feels like he is alone but he isn't. It can be difficult for victims of abuse to see that.  
> Lastly, Kageyama disassociates a lot. Thats when he zones out of a situation and gets lost in thought about something else. It is a common symptom of PTSD and anxiety. Everyone deals with their trauma in a different way and there is no textbook example of PTSD or anxiety. When I'm writing about how Kageyama deals with his trauma I am mirroring the way I have dealt with mine in the past. 
> 
> This chapter signifies a turning point for Kageyama. You can't just bury and forget about trauma and there is no such thing as "moving past it". It is an every day battle and you just learn how to manage it better. Kageyama has reached the point where he is able to accept the fact that he hasn't been dealing with his trauma in a healthy way. He still has a long road of recovery ahead of him but even the smallest step towards recovery can feel like a giant leap. 
> 
> Trigger Warnings:  
> Panic attacks
> 
> If you are unable to read about panic attacks then stop reading at (He jumped when he felt another hand) and then control f to (Slowly the world behind Hinata).

The days rolled into weeks which turned into months. Kageyama and Hinata continued to...date?....be friends??? Kageyama wasn’t exactly sure. Hinata made good on his promise to force Kageyama to watch all of the Studio Ghibli movies (and he had to admit that they were all really good). For once in his life, Kageyama felt balance. Sure some days were stressful because of business or Rini misbehaving, but life was good, _really_ good. For so long he had focused on survival and keeping Rini safe, but now he could take a step back and focus on himself. 

Hinata had never put pressure on Kageyama to label their relationship, content to just spend time with him. He never put up a fuss when Kageyama didn’t spend the night or wasn’t affectionate. Kageyama had never had someone who put his happiness first, he had always been the one sacrificing for others. During morning and afternoon pickup Kageyama’s gaze would meet Hinata’s and the red head would always give him a soft smile and a little wave, it never failed to give Kageyama heart palpitations. Some nights Kageyama would have to pinch himself to make sure that this all wasn’t some dream, that he wouldn’t wake up in a cold dark room and find out the last 5 years had all been a fantasy and he was still living a nightmare. 

Recently, it seemed like love was blossoming all around him. Daichi and Suga had begun to see each other regularly, and the ashen haired receptionist had become a familiar face around the Crow’s Nest. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had….some kind of relationship. In public the 2 were often bickering and poking fun at the other’s expense, but Kageyama had witnessed the tender moments between them when they thought no one was looking. He heard the soft tone Oikawa took when talking about Iwaizumi over tea in the early hours of the morning in Kageyama’s living room. 

Kageyama was happy for his friend, ecstatic even, but Oikawa’s new relationship made him do a lot of soul searching. For so long he had let Umi take and take from him until he had nothing left to give. Time and distance had allowed him to heal, to rebuild himself into the man and father he always wished he had had. Everytime he thought about having more with Hinata his brain went back to Umi and the things she had said and done to him...but Umi wasn’t there anymore. His relationship with Hinata was nothing like the one he had with her, even during the beginning of their relationship when Kageyama had been blissfully ignorant to all of the red flags. 

No, things with Hinata were slow and gentle and happy. Every memory with the other man was like a brilliant star that lit up Kageyama’s previously pitch black sky. If he wanted to be with Hinata, really _be with him_ , then he was going to have to face everything that had happened with Umi. Not store it in a little box in the back of his brain like he had been doing for years, he was going to have to unpack a treasure trove of emotional baggage and pray that Hinata wouldn’t run. Kageyama knew it was a lot and that he was selfish for even asking, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to face it all alone.

He knew it wasn’t going to be easy, he had barely made it out alive the first time, but he was a different man now. And with Hinata by his side he hoped that maybe, _just maybe_ , he would be able to learn to love again. 

It was Tuesday night and Kageyama was sitting on Hinata’s overstuffed couch watching Spirited Away while eating takeout. There was nothing fancy or exciting about the date but it warmed Kageyama’s chest all the same. Hinata was relaxing at the other end of the couch, legs propped up on the coffee table, eyes glued to the screen as he mechanically tried to pick up the same piece of tofu 3 times but failed each attempt. 

The first time Kageyama had gone over to Hinata’s apartment he sat tense on the sofa unable to relax. Just being in the other man’s apartment felt like a step too far in a direction that Kageyama wasn’t ready for. His eyes kept flickering to Hinata’s closed bedroom door, waiting for the other man to try and drag him into the room. Kageyama should have known better. Hinata had stayed perched on his end of the couch all night, keeping an arms length between them at all times. The rational part of Kageyama’s brain knew that Hinata wasn’t anything like Umi and that the other man would never take advantage of him like she had in the past, but there was that little voice in his brain that would never keep quiet. 

This was Kageyagama’s 4th time visiting Hinata’s apartment and the raven haired man was easily able to sink into the plush cushions of the couch. The apartment radiated the same aura that its owner did. It was warm and inviting, smothering you in a sense of hominess the second you walked in. Everything was worn and well loved but not tattered. Photos and knicknacks covered every shelf, and along all the windows were rows of potted plants. It was a sharp juxtaposition to Kageyama’s minimalistic approach to decorating (i.e. he was clueless and just picked things that wouldn’t break or stain easily). 

“Kageyama?” Hinata’s eyes had left the screen and were now intensely focused on him. Kageyama realized that he had been staring at the other man and had completely lost track of the movie. 

“I’m fine. Do you mind pausing it for a second?” Kageyama took a deep breath and tried to control his pounding heart. After Umi, he had sworn off dating for the rest of his life. He could never expose himself to that torture again, and now that he had Rini to take care of he didn’t have the time to think about someone else. But being there with Hinata he didn’t have to think about being with the other man, it just came naturally. 

Hinata had been perfect, reading Kageyama like a book and knowing exactly what to do and say at any moment. Right now Kageyama felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, teetering back and forth between the comfort and familiarity of loneliness and the unknown thrill of being in love. Milk chocolate eyes look at Kageyama from the other side of the couch, brow furrowed in a worried expression. 

All of last night and this morning, Kageyama had thought about what he wanted to say. He had never been good with words, not very good with actions either. He had lived a life where no one cared about his self expression, all they wanted was for him to be quiet, so he became very good at being silent. Before it had never been a problem, but now as he sat on the other end of the couch looking at Hinata, there were a thousand things he wanted to say but the words slipped through his fingers like sand. 

“I...I’m not good at this stuff.” Suddenly Kageyama’s mouth felt dry. His hands fiddled with the hem of his shirt and his eyes fell to his lap, the weight of their conversation too heavy for him to be able to look forward. “Listen I-I um like you...a lot...but in the past…” The words burned his throat; he didn’t want to say them outloud. If he voiced them then they became real all over again. Countless people had told him that he was being dramatic, that he needed to _man up_. The only person who had believed him was Oikawa, the other man witnessing Umi’s horrors with his own 2 eyes. 

“Rini’s mom...she was terrible...it it was a nightmare. I always told myself that I would never open up like that again...I can’t go through that again.” His voice had dropped to a whisper, like the volume might lessen the pain of his past. “A-and I know you’re different...god you’re so different from her. You’re warm and and and nice and you smile. And I think that maybe…” Kageyama took a deep breath and looked back up at Hinata, he needed to see his face when he said this. 

“Maybe I can try it again if its with you...B-but I just...I needed to be honest with you because...I’m so fucking **_broken_ ** H-Hinata.” The words cracked something in Kageyama’s chest, something that had been stone since the day he left with Oikawa. It was like the clouds that had been hanging over his head finally released all the rain they had been holding onto for years, leaving Kageyama drenched in the storm.

“I’m broken and s-scared and I just wanted to tell you b-because I want to have more with you but I don’t know how long it will take o-or if I’ll ever be whole again...And I wanted to give you the chance...the c-chance to back out because I know it will be a lot of w-work and it's not fair to not let you c-choose.” Kageyama knew he had ruined a perfectly good night but he needed to say it, he needed to be honest with Hinata because Umi had never been honest with him and he wasn’t going to doom this relationship the same way.

Hinata just sat on the other end of the couch with an expression that Kageyama couldn’t read. The raven haired man sat there and waited, he waited for Hinata to call him pathetic, weak, a loser. He waited for the other man to tell him to leave and never come back. But the yelling never came, instead Hinata crawled forward slightly on the couch, sitting on the cushion that had previously separated them. Slowly his hand reached out for Kageyama’s, but when he saw Kageyama flinch away slightly, he paused.

“Kageyama can I hold your hand?” His voice was gentle, not a hint of malice in his words. Cautiously, Kageyama reached out and grabbed the shorter man’s hand, it was warm and smooth to the touch. 

“Thank you for telling me that. I know it must have been extremely difficult. I don’t know what you’ve been through in the past, and you don’t have to tell me now, but I promise you Kageyama I won’t do anything like that. And we can go as slow as you need to.” Hinata stopped and nibbled on his lower lip, pondering his next words. In the seconds it took for him to continue Kageyama felt years shaved off his lifespan.

“I like being with you too and I would love to have more with you but I don’t want to put any pressure on you. You can call the shots and I’ll be whatever you need me to be.” 

And suddenly, Kageyama didn’t mind standing in the middle of the storm anymore because all storms had to pass, and when it finally did and the clouds faded away, all that would be left was the sun.

They finished watching Spirited Away that night but instead of sitting on opposite ends of the couch Hinata sat in the middle next to him. They shared the same blanket and underneath the burgundy fabric their knees brushed together ever so slightly. It wasn’t a lot but Hinata wasn’t asking for a lot, he was asking for what Kageyama could give, and right now Kageyama couldn’t give much. Baring his soul before had taken a heavy toll on Kageyama, and when he left Hinata’s apartment later that evening he felt scrubbed raw, but he also felt cleaner, lighter. 

Before he had kept a bandage on the broken and rotten parts of his heart; if he couldn’t see it then he didn’t have to deal with how bad it was. Now, with Hinata, he had ripped the bandages off and had to work on scooping out all of the rotten sludge that Umi had left in him, but with that came the promise that one day it would all be gone. He thought he would be scared (and he was scared shitless) but he was also excited. 

The next morning when he dropped Rini off at school, Kageyama looked across the parking lot and caught Hinata’s eye. They both shared tender smiles that were now filled with so much more, and it made Kageyama’s heart swell in his chest. Right now their relationship was delicate but Kageyama cradled it because for the first time he had something that resembled hope. 

But Kageyama should have known that it was all too good to be true. He shouldn’t have let himself fall into a daydream because life was not a story book where everyone got a happy ending. No life was ruthless and cruel and would beat you down again and again until you lost all of your fight to get back up. He should have been expecting the baseball bat to the back that would shatter the fantasy he had been living the past 3 months.

A little after noon Kageyama’s phone lit up with Hinata’s contact information. It wasn’t completely unheard of to receive a call from the teacher at this time of day, on multiple occasions Rini had made a mess of whatever clothes she was in and Kageyama had to come in with a replacement, so when he picked up the phone there was no hesitation. 

“Kageyama you need to come to school quickly. There is a woman trying to take Rini out of school. She says she is Rini’s mother.”

~~~

Kageyama’s heart froze in his chest and the whole world stopped spinning around him. The sound of Hinata’s voice on the other end of the receiver faded away and all he could hear was his blood rushing in his ears. How had she found them? Kageyama’s mind reeled with panic but then Hinata’s words hit him full force. She was at Rini’s school. She was trying to take Rini from him. 

The father bolted up from his desk chair and slammed his office door open. Oikawa jumped at the bang and turned from the customer who he was helping, a displeased look on his face. The second he saw Kageyama’s manic expression the irritated look was quickly replaced with worry. 

“She found us. She’s at the school.” Oikawa didn’t need Kageyama to say her name to know who he was talking about. The brunette yelled for Daichi, scrambling around the desk while Kageyama stood there uselessly. Oikawa had always handled pressure better than him, always able to keep a level head and his thoughts coherent. When Daichi finally answered Oikawa’s panicked call the latter didn’t even explain, instead he just grabbed Kageyama’s arm and pulled him towards the front door, yelling over his shoulder that there was an emergency. 

Oikawa drove like a bat out of hell to the school, taking the speed limit as a suggestion instead of the law. When they pulled up to the building Kageyama didn’t even wait for the car to come to a complete stop, his intense need to protect his daughter propelling him out of the vehicle. He slammed open the front doors of the building and was met with Suga’s startled gaze. 

“Where is she? Where is Rini? You didn’t let her take her did you?!” Fear clawed its way up Kageyama’s throat and every word burned his lips. What if he was too late? What if she was gone? He hadn’t been there to protect her. Images of his daughter’s smiling face flashed through his mind and the thought of never seeing her again nearly sent him to his knees. In his panic he hadn’t noticed that Suga had come around from behind the front desk until the other man’s hands were on his shoulders. 

“Rini is fine. She is in class still. Hinata is in Ushijima’s office with Rini’s mother. When she came in asking to take Rini Hinata had refused to let Rini leave the class and called you.” Kageyama let out a sob, Rini was safe and it was all because of Hinata. 

“They’re all waiting for you in the office.” Blue eyes fell on the dark wood of Ushijima’s office door. Behind it was every memory Kageyama had been trying to bury for the past 5 years. Every fiber of his being told him to run, to scoop Rini into his arms and flee like they had before. But then he thought of the life they had built, the friends they had made, he thought about Hinata. Blue eyes looked up to meet Oikawa’s intense gaze. He knew every thought running through Kageyama’s mind, he could see the fear radiating off the father in thick waves. 

Kageyama knew that if he asked Oikawa he would help him pack up and leave, he would turn his back on everything they had created and run with him because they were family. But Kageyama was tired of running, Umi had ruined 7 years of his life and he wasn’t going to let her have a second more. 

He stood up straight and tried to muster every ounce of courage he had. He thought about Rini and how he had to fight this battle for her. He thought about Hinata standing in that room protecting his daughter from Umi. He took a deep breath, he wasn’t ready, he would never be ready, but he had to go in anyway.

Kageyama and Oikawa followed Suga to the door. Even though it was no more than 20 steps away Kageyama was sweating like he had run a marathon. He watched as Suga turned the doorknob, he was sure years had passed by the time the door cracked open. The first person his eyes landed on was Hinata, even in the cold dark room the teacher shined like the sun. He was standing behind a large wooden desk next to Ushijima, the principal wore a stoic expression. Sitting on the other side of the desk in front of Ushijima was a man with neatly parted dark black hair, he didn’t turn to look at Kageyama as he walked into the office. To the left of the man sat a woman with long dark black hair that flowed over the back of the chair. She turned and brown eyes almost as dark as coal landed on Kageyama, a sickly sweet smile spread across her lips.

“Hello Tobio.” That voice. The one he heard in his nightmares, whispering in his ears, constantly in the back of his mind. His name on her tongue sounded like shattered glass, like screaming in the middle of the night, like the sound of a smack across his skin. Mechanically Kageyama moved deeper into the room, gravitating to the corner opposite of Umi, his body desperately trying to get away from her. 

“Now that all parties are present I would like to proceed. My client would like to see her daughter.” 

“No.” The loud voice in the room made Kageyama jump and it took him several seconds to realize it was his own. All eyes turned to look at him. 

“No. You can’t see her.” The sickly sweet smile never left Umi’s face, if anything it got wider when she heard the waiver in Kageyama’s voice. She still wore the same shade of ruby red lipstick, and Kageyama could still taste it, sweet like cherries in the beginning and then bitter like gin. His lips burned at the thought. Oikawa stepped forward and placed a large manilla envelope on the desk in front of Ushijima.

“Here is all the paperwork. Kageyama has sole custody of Rini. Umi forfeited all parental rights when she failed to attend the custody hearing.” Internally Kageyama thanked Oikawa for the millionth time in the last 20 minutes. It hadn’t even occurred to him to bring all the paperwork he had meticulously filed away in case something like this ever happened. It had been sitting in the safe under the front desk collecting dust for years, Kageyama’s false sense of security leading him to believe he would never need it. 

“Ah yes my client will be refiling for custody.” The other man wore the same sinister smile as Umi, polite on the surface but rotten within. 

“If you knew that you didn’t have visitation rights to the child then why did you attempt to collect her from school? That could be interpreted as an attempted kidnapping.” It was Ushijima that asked the question, his words weren’t accusatory, he spoke in his signature flat tone. Umi gasped and gave the principle a pained expression. 

“A mother could never kidnap her daughter. My heart ached to see her, to hold her again in my arms. To a mother her daughter is the whole universe, is it a shock that I just wanted to see mine?” Her tone was laced with sorrow but Kageyama knew it was an act. She had used the same tone every time Kageyama tried to leave, telling him that she was sorry, she couldn’t live without him, how could he abandon her? Oikawa snorted beside him.

“That's rich. It's been 5 years and now you want to see her?” The woman sent Oikawa a deadly glare and opened her mouth to retort but was silenced by the man sitting next to her.

“My client regrets the precious years she has missed with her daughter, which is why she is here now to rectify the situation. In her past she made mistakes but don’t all humans? We came here hoping to handle things civilly for Rini’s sake but I can see that won’t be happening.” White hot anger flared in Kageyama’s chest. How dare this man say his daughter’s name. How dare he say seeing Umi was what was best for Rini. The pair stood up.

“We will be leaving now. Here is my business card. We will contact you in the near future when the court date has been decided.” A small white rectangle of paper was handed to Kageyama. The name Daishou Suguru was printed in plain black lettering along with a phone number. On the back was a logo with a large black snake coiled around a balance. The name Nohebi Academy Lawfirm was written in smooth cursive underneath. Kageyama wanted to throw it back at his face, he wanted to shred it into a million pieces, he wanted to watch it burn, but instead he held in numbly between his fingers. 

Daishou and Umi turned to make their way out of the room, but the woman stopped and reached out to place a hand on Kageyama’s shoulder. Longer manicured nails were just a little too tight against his skin, not enough to leave a mark but the grip was a promise for later. That same predatory smile spread across her lips as she looked up at him.

“It was good to see you Tobio. I’ve missed you every day since you left me.” She glided out of the room with Daishou, heels clacking against the tiled floors. The door clicked close behind them and the room once again fell silent. Kageyama felt sick. His shoulder burned and he could still feel the imprint of Umi’s fingers against him. “ _Since you left me_ ” echoed in his brain. She made it seem like he had abandoned her, like she had begged him to stay but he turned his back on her anyway. 

He jumped when he felt another hand on that shoulder, but instead of Umi’s cold grip it was Hinata’s warm hands on him this time. Kageyama watched Hinata’s lips move, milk chocolate eyes drowning in worry, but he couldn’t hear him. Everything was washed out by the ringing in his ears and his vision started to narrow, black walls blocking off his periferal. 

The room felt hot and heavy, like the air had gained mass and was pressing down on his shoulders. He gasped for air but it didn’t fill his lungs. It was like there was a hole in his throat and all the air he was taking in leaked out of him before it could reach them. Black dots started to float in his vision. His stomach wretched and the bitter taste of bile filled his mouth. 

Kageyama’s mind desperately tried to remember what he needed to do. Where was he? What had been happening before? An impending sense of doom washed over him but he couldn’t remember what had caused it. He felt like he was drowning, desperately thrashing to try and get back to the surface, but sinking further and further away from the light. 

Hands. There were warm hands on his face. They weren’t his own hands, no those were fisted tightly in his hair. He could feel the slight burn on his scalp as he pulled at the roots. Fingers ran across his cheeks, across his nose, over his eye lids. His eyes were closed, that's why everything was so dark. With all his strength Kageyama slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lighting.

The room around him was blurry and out of focus. There was someone in front of him, kneeling between his legs. He was on the ground, the solid weight of a wall pressed up against his back. All he could see was orange, the hands on his face never stopped moving and Kageyama fixated on the touch. Slowly the ringing in his ears died down and the noise of the world around faded back into focus. 

Someone was talking to him. He could only catch a few words. The sentences washed in and out of focus and it was difficult to force his ears to catch them all. 

“Good...breath...safe...here…” Kageyama’s whole body ached. The light, the sounds of the room, the warmth of the hands on his face, it was all too much. Everything hurt and exhaustion seeped into his bones. The hands on his face moved down to his shoulders and shook him lightly.

“No Kageyama you have to stay awake. Come on look at me please.” Hinata. His voice sounded scared, not his normal light and cheerful tone. His head felt like it weighed a million pounds but Kageyama forced himself to lift it so he could meet Hinata’s gaze. His eyes were rimmed red and white tear tracts ran down his cheeks. Why was Hinata crying?

“H..Hinata?” Kageyama’s voice sounded foreign to his own ears. The word felt like sandpaper against his throat and his tongue was heavy and flopped uselessly in his mouth. Kageyama moved his arms forward to pull the other man in close but he found his fingers were still wound tightly in his hair. Slowly he pried them off his head, they burned when he stretched them out straight. 

Kageyama took a deep breath and slowly cool air seeped its way into his weeping lungs. His shaky hands finally found purchase in Hinata’s sweater, the soft cotton felt good against his burning skin. It was a rich cobalt blue and Kageyama could almost feel the sensation of water running over his fingertips. 

Slowly his mind began to refocus on the room past Hinata’s shoulders. Oikawa sat on the ground to his right and Kageyama registered that his friend’s hand was on his back, rubbing soft circles against his skin. Ushijima was no longer in the room, the large leather chair where he had been seated earlier now empty. Kageyama sagged against the wall, letting his head fall into Oikawa’s shoulder. Hinata’s hands worked their way back up to his cheeks and wiped away the tears running down them. This is when Kageyama registered that he was crying. That's why his eyes were burning. 

“I..I’m sorry.” Both the other men shushed him immediately. They cooed soft words of encouragement as they pet him softly, allowing his body to readjust after the panic attack. It had been years since Kageyama had had one that bad. It took a year after leaving for Kageyama to be able to sleep through the night. 2 years to see a woman with long dark hair and not feel his heart freeze in his chest. 3 years to not instinctively flinch when someone moved to touch him. 

It had taken Umi less than 15 minutes to tear down what took Kageyama 5 grueling years to build. Like a tsunami she came in without a moment's notice, destroyed everything, and then vanished, leaving Kageyama broken in the ruins. 

Suddenly, Kageyama felt the overwhelming ache to hold his daughter. How could he have forgotten about her? She was his whole reason for living and instead of running to her to protect her, he broke down in panic. He felt weak and pathetic. 

“I...I need to see her. I need to hold Rini.” They told him that she was safe but he needed to see her. He needed to hold her in his arms. Kageyama tried to push himself off the ground but his knees buckled under his weight and gravity sent him back to the floor. The other men grabbed onto him with steady hands and helped him maneuver into Ushijima’s large leather chair. He was glad they didn’t put him into either of the chairs that had been occupied by Umi or Daishou earlier. 

“You have to calm down first Tobio. Right now you’ll just scare Bunny. She is safe. Ushijima went to her class to make sure that hag didn’t try any funny business after they left.” Oikawa was right. He had to be strong for Rini, he couldn’t let this situation touch her. He had worked so hard to build a sanctuary around his daughter where she could live and play freely. He wanted to hold her and take her home where he could lock her away from the outside world, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold himself together all night. 

“Kageyama if you can calm down for a few minutes I can bring Rini in here. You can hold her and see that she is safe and then Oikawa can take her home and you can come home with me for a little bit.” 

“Or I can call Dai-chan to come ge…”

“No it has to be you. No one else. You have to protect her Tooru.” Oikawa knew all of Umi’s tricks. Others could be fooled by her siren song but not Oikawa, he knew the sinister message hiding in the sweet tune. Oikawa bent down between Kageyama’s knees, placing his hands on the latter’s thighs.

“Hey hey Tobio I will always protect her okay? I will always protect both of you. We are **_family._ **” Oikawa’s tone was resolute and relief washed over Kageyama. Oikawa had always been Kageyama’s lighthouse in the storm that was Umi. Even when wave after wave crashed into him threatening to pull him under, all Kageyama had to do was look for the faint yellow glow and swim towards it, knowing it would lead him to dry land. 

Kageyama still felt shaken, just barely teetering on the edge of functioning, but he needed to see Rini. He scrubbed his hands over his face and willed his heart to stop trying to beat its way out of his chest. 

“Okay I’m ready. Can you please go get her?” Milk chocolate eyes looked down at him hesitantly but eventually Hinata nodded his head and slipped out of the room. Oikawa stood up from the ground and perched himself on the edge of the desk.

“I’ve already sent out a text message to the entire staff. I gave them a description of Umi and her lawyer and told them under no circumstances is anyone who they don’t know allowed to know where Rini is or be alone with her. They all care about her and want to protect her just as much as us Tobio.” 

Kageyama thought about the picture Rini had drawn on her first day of school that was now proudly framed and hanging behind the reception desk. Hinata had asked the children to draw their family and Rini had drawn all of the staff at the Crow’s Nest standing hand in hand. After Iwaizumi’s first week working there she insisted that he was added to the picture, and so it was taken down so the little girl could add the newest addition. 

This time they didn’t have to protect Rini alone. They had an entire group rallying behind them, a concept that Kageyama was still struggling to come to terms with. The idea of having a support system in these kinds of situations was foreign to him and it was difficult to relinquish control and trust them. The opening of the office door distracted Kageyama from his thoughts. 

When Kageyama saw his daughter he couldn’t help the sob that escaped his throat. She was animatedly talking to Hinata about something and her peals of laughter were music to Kageyama’s ears. She was still dressed in the bright purple dress covered in poodles that Kageyama had put her in this morning. Umi hadn’t taken her, she was still her, she was safe. When the little girl’s azure eyes fell on Kageyama, worry washed over her face. She immediately detached herself from Hinata and scrambled over to her father.

“What's wrong Daddy? Why do you look sad?” Now that she was within arms reach Kageyama wasted no time scooping her into his lap and holding her close to his chest. Being able to hold her close released a knot in the father’s chest. He pressed soft kisses all over her face, desperate to shower her in affection.

“I’m not sad Bunny I just missed you soooooo much.” With his daughter back in his arms the world seemed to right itself again. Rini’s giggles were the sweetest sound Kageyama had ever heard. 

“You’re silly Daddy.” Rini was blissfully unaware of what had transpired in this room not even an hour ago. She had no idea that Kageyama was barely holding on, that his sanity rested on her tiny shoulders. 

“Listen Bunny. Uncle Tooru is going to take you home and watch you for the rest of the night okay?” The little girl frowned and looked back and forth between her uncle and father with confusion.

“But schools not over Daddy. And where are you going?” Tiny hands gripped his shirt and Kageyama was quick to take them into his own. He never wanted Rini to be scared that he would leave her. He would stand by her side for the rest of his life.

“I know school isn’t over Bunny but Tsukki said he needs you to come in and help him plan your birthday cake. He wants to make sure it's perfect for your party. Daddy has to go do boring business stuff but Uncle Tooru will be with you.” Rini obviously looked conflicted. She was torn between not wanting to leave school and her friends and wanting to go help Tsukishima. Kageyama hated lying to her but he wouldn’t be able to relax until she was home safe. 

“Maybe we can see if Iwa-chan will stay and watch a movie with us tonight Bunny-chan. You can show him your favorite one and teach him all the songs.” The prospect of getting to spend time with both Tsukishima and Iwaizumi made the decision easy for the little girl. 

“Okay!” She threw her arms around Kageyama’s neck in a too tight hug but the father relished the contact. “I love you Daddy!” 

“I love you too Bunny.” Oikawa slid off the desk and gently picked his goddaughter up off Kageyama’s lap. The little girl waved goodbye and when the door closed behind them Kageyama had never felt more empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I will update soon. I am not cruel enough to make you all wait a month for the next chapter. I know this chapter is sad and the next few chapters are going to be sad, but there will be a happy ending I promise <3
> 
> You all have been an amazing support system and I treasure every comment of encouragement you all leave. This is the farthest I have ever gotten in a story (my Google Doc for it is 57 pages long!) and I cant begin to describe how proud of it I am. Thank you all for reading <3


	7. Gin Made From Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama finally opens up about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof....
> 
> Trigger Warnings:  
> Alcoholism, Domestic Violence, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Verbal Abuse.
> 
> If you cannot handle any of the trigger above please read until ~~~ and then control f to ~~~. Everything you will not be reading is Kageyama's detailed account about his past.

The entire car ride to Hinata’s apartment felt like an out of body experience for Kageyama. Before in the office he had been overwhelmed with emotion, it hit him like a freight train and left him on the tracks to die, but now he felt nothing. He sat in Hinata’s bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle watching the country side roll by and he felt nothing. 

He followed Hinata mechanically up the 3 flights of stairs and into the familiar apartment. Everything seemed distant, nothing felt real. It was like he was floating in the space above his body and the detachment didn’t allow him to feel. Hinata flitted about anxiously, careful to only place light touches on Kageyama and always asking before he did anything. Kageyama could feel the anxiety radiating off the other man but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it. Kageyama had been suicidal in the past but that wasn’t the word he would use to describe what he felt now, he didn’t want to die, he just didn’t want to exist. 

“Kageyama will you talk to me please? What do you need? What can I do?” The raven haired man stood in the space between Hinata’s kitchen and living room and just stared but he wasn’t taking in his surroundings, everything just faded around him like static. 

“I don’t know.” It was a hoarse whisper. In the past Kageyama would just lay in bed, sometimes for hours, and just wait for the feeling to go away. 

“When I was younger my little sister would come into my room sometimes after she had a bad nightmare. She would always ask me to wrap her up in blankets and make her hot coco. Do you think that would help?” Blue eyes flickered to the thick burgundy blanket still sitting on the cushion where Kageyama had left it last night. Less than 24 hours ago he had sat on that couch and made a promise to himself that he wasn’t going to let Umi ruin his life anymore, that he was going to move on and try to be happy from now on. It was almost funny how cruel the universe could be. 

“Sure.” Kageyama let Hinata lead him over to the couch and wrap him in the soft fleece blanket. It smelled like laundry soap and the Indian food they had last night. 

“I’ll be right back okay.” Hinata looked at Kageyama like he might break, and to be fair that was a very reasonable fear. A few minutes later (or was it hours?) Hinata was back carrying 2 steaming mugs of hot chocolate. When Kageyama didn’t reach out for a mug Hinata just sat it on the coffee table in front of him. It was one of those cheesy tourist mugs from American, Kageyama recognized the large green statue of a woman from several movies he had watched.

“You’ve been to America?” Hinata seemed a little thrown off by the question but replied anyway.

“Yea I went and did a study abroad in college. I lived in New York and taught Japanese at an elementary school. That's when I fell in love with teaching younger children.” Kageyama could see Hinata in New York, his bright starry eyed expression as he walked down the historic streets. The other man quickly turned the subject back onto Kageyama, not deterred by his attempt to ignore the elephant in the room. 

“Kageyama you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to but I just want you to know that you can talk to me. You had a pretty...strong reaction to seeing Um….that woman. And I know you touched on your relationship a little bit last night. I’m not saying you have to tell me anything but I just want to know how I can be here for you right now.” Kageyama had never told anyone the entire story, about everything that had transpired in that tiny apartment in Tokyo. Oikawa had witnessed some of the abuse, but even he didn’t know everything. 

Kageyama was scared to say it outloud. He had spent years trying to forget about it and telling Hinata about it would do the exact opposite, but the weight in his chest from holding it all in ached. He had thought his wounds had healed but Umi had come right back into his life slashed open every scar, cutting into him like he was butter. Everyone was always telling him that he should talk to someone, that he couldn’t heal until he voiced what had happened to him, but he had always ignored them. 

But now sitting with Hinata after everything that happened, the words were pushing their way up his throat and he couldn’t swallow them back down. It was a war inside his brain, one half of him desperate for release while the other was trying to choke back the words before they reached his lips. 

“Promise you won’t leave?” Kageyama could feel himself breaking under the pressure, all of the emotions from the school were washing over him again like a tidal wave.

“Of course I won’t leave Kageyama. I’ll be here through all of this.” The sincerity in Hinata’s voice forced a sob out of Kageyama, his body trembling with the anticipation of finally letting out everything he had been holding in for the better part of a decade. 

“I-I can’t look at you...I’m…” He couldn’t see the pity or disgust in Hinata’s eyes when he heard how stupid Kageyama had been, the things he had done. 

“That’s fine. Do you want me to turn my back? Or I can sit in the kitchen. Whatever you need, Kageyama.” Even wrapped up in the thick blanket, Kageyama felt a chill seep into his bones. No matter how tightly he wrapped around himself he couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering and his fingers from trembling. Hinata always made him feel so warm, even when Umi had sucked out all the warmth from Ushijima’s office Hinata managed to stay a bright flickering light. 

Kageyama shuffled so his back was against the armrest of the couch and opened his arms. The chill of his past was threatening to take over and he desperately needed Hinata’s warmth. Wordlessly, the other man set down his mug and crawled into Kageyama’s lap, straddling him so that their chests were pressed together. Kageyama buried his nose in Hinata’s hair and took in a moment to soak in the warmth. This was the most they had ever touched and in any other situation Kageyama’s heart would be pounding and he wouldn’t know what to do with himself, but right now he gripped Hinata like a lifeline. The solid weight against his chest made Kageyama feel more grounded, safer, more in control. 

For a few precious moments they just sat there enveloped in the warmth of the blanket. Hinata rested his head in the crook of Kageyama’s neck, arms wrapped securely around his waist, and hands tracing lightly up and down his spine. Kageyama desperately wished that this moment was a happy one but the heavy weight of dread in the pit of his stomach reminded him of the conversation they were about to have. 

“I guess I’ll start from the beginning….”

~~~

From the very beginning Kageyama had never known love. His parents were both from wealthy families and their marriage was arranged when they were children. He had faded memories of a woman with kind eyes and soft hair singing a sorrowful tune as she rocked him to sleep, but those images felt like they were from a past life. When Kageyama was still in elementary school his mother fell ill and passed, leaving him as an only child and alone with his father.

His father wasn’t a cruel man, he just had no interest in his child. As the head of the household it was expected of him to raise an heir, his child’s sole purpose was to carry on the family name. So when his first born was a son he didn’t have any more children, he had already achieved his goal, any more children would just be a waste of resources. 

Throughout his childhood Kageyama saw very little of his father, just glimpses between business meetings and on the occasional holiday. He was raised by a fleet of faceless nannies who assured he was clothed and fed but made no attempt to care for him beyond their expected duties. Thus, Kageyama spent much of his childhood alone. He was expected to behave, get good grades in school, and not embarrassed the family, but what he did besides that was of little concern to his father. 

During Kageyama’s 3rd year of high school his father remarried a woman from America. Kageyama had only met her a handful of times before they married, she had pretty long brown hair and always smiled at him, but she too mostly ignored Kageyama’s presence. After their marriage they planned to relocate to America, his father was planning on extending the company overseas and wanted to handle the transition himself. Kageyama was given the option to go with them or stay in Japan, his father would pay for an apartment for him and send him money every month to live on. Kageyama chose the latter. 

Much like he did at home, in school Kageyama faded into the background. He wasn’t popular but he didn’t get bullied, he wasn’t a genius but he wasn’t stupid either. He played volleyball and the relationship he had with his teammates could loosely be called friendship, they ate lunch together and were friendly to him in the halls. The news that Kageyama had his own apartment spread through the school like wildlife and overnight he gained instant popularity. 

Mainly, the other kids liked his apartment because it was somewhere they could drink without worrying about adults. It was also around this time that girls started to take an interest in him. Before he had never really thought about things like dating or sex, he knew other kids his age did it but it was never something he was interested in. After he got his own apartment girls came onto him a lot more, and the other guys always told Kageyama he was lucky that he didn’t have any parents around to worry about walking in on him during sex. 

He never turned down a girl because having sex with them was what he was suppose to want, he was a hot blooded teenage male afterall, but he never really enjoyed it. He was able to get hard and come, again he was a teenage boy, but it was never mind blowing like the other guys talked about. He just went through the motions of it, and the girls always seemed satisfied so he thought thats how all sex was. 

At least that was until he stumbled across gay porn. At first watching it disgusted him but he found himself unable to turn away, almost drooling as he watched the depraved scene in front of him. Kageyama had never even considered the possibility of being gay, being romantic with anyone had never crossed his mind but he was a guy and guys were suppose to like girls, so it only seemed natural that he would be straight. Living in Tokyo gays were more accepted in the city compared to the rest of Japan but there was still a stigma surrounding them, but Kageyama didn’t want to be gay, he didn’t want to be different. 

But after that night a small part of his brain never forgot the way those 2 men rutted up against each other, the hard lines of their stomachs were so different than the soft curves of a woman. He found himself staring just a little too long at his teammates in the locker room after practice. He noticed the way their shorts would ride up when they would jump for a ball, the way sweat would pool in the dips of their collarbones. Kageyama did his best to push those thoughts to the farthest recesses of his brain, only allowing them to reemerge during the safety of darkness behind locked doors. 

One evening Kageyama was sitting in his apartment with some of his new found friends, one of them had managed to get their hands on a bottle of booze and the boys sat in a circle passing the bottle back and forth until it was empty. The conversation quickly turned to sex and one of the boys began a detailed recount of his late night escipades with an older woman. He told them about how beautiful she was and how good she made him fell, how sex with her was a million times better than sex with any of the girls at their school. Thats when Kageyama had an ephiany, he wasn’t gay, he had just been having sex with inexperienced girls. If he could have sex with a woman then it would feel better and all of those crazy thoughts would go away. He asked his classmate to introduce him to the woman, and after a few texts back and forth they made plans to meet later that week.

That’s when Kageyama met Umi. She was 6 years older than him but didn’t look a day over 19. She was all legs with a trimmed waist and large breasts, any man’s wet dream. At the time she was working as a waitress at a bar downtown and Kageyama met her there late one night after her shift. She took a liking to him immediately, especially after she learned that Kageyama lived by himself. 

The sex with her was better than with the girls at his school so Kageyama had figured he had fixed his “problem”. In the beginning he loved their relationship. He had never had anyone pay so much attention to him, dote on him, and lavish him with affection. Umi adored him and made sure to show him that often.

With the money his father sent him every month Kageyama bought her anything she wanted, and in return she fawned over him. 2 months after they first met Umi quit her job and moved in with him, claiming that her boss was a sleeze bag that she couldn’t stand anymore and that she wanted to spend more time with Kageyama. She had no problems with the kids from school coming over and she regularly supplied them all with booze and cigarettes, and suddenly Kageyama had become one of the most popular kids at school. At 17 Kageyama felt like a king, but then everything went downhill.

Shortly after Kageyama graduated high school his father fell ill and died. It had been over a year since Kageyama had had contact with his father but the news still overwhelmed him with grief. His widow took everything, during his father’s illness she had managed to write Kageyama out of the will, and now instead of being the heir to a multimillion dollar company he was penniless. 

But Kageyama wasn’t worried. He would just put off going to college for a little while and if both Umi and him worked it wouldn’t be hard to pay the bills. They would have to adjust their lifestyle but if they both worked hard then they could still be happy together. Umi did not like this plan. 

She had grown accustomed to not working and Kageyama buying her things, she didn’t want to give up her new lifestyle. She begged Kageyama not to make her work, she talked about how degrading it was to have men catcall her and flirt with her and how she didn’t think she could handle the stress of working again. When she began to cry Kageyama lost all his resolve, he couldn’t stand to see her so upset, so he began working 2 jobs to support them so Umi could stay home.

With Kageyama not home to occupy her, Umi had to find a new way to fill her time, so she began to drink _heavily_. With every bottle her soul rotted and the once loving girlfriend Kageyama knew turned into a monster. 

No matter what he did Kageyama could never do anything right. She was mad that he couldn’t buy her things, that he was always busy and couldn’t take her out, that he wasn’t there to love her. At first it was just her screaming at him, then she started to throw and break things, and then one night she hit him. After that night his life became a living nightmare. 

Umi hit him often, most of the time with her hands but sometimes with an object nearby. Anytime Kageyama would try to stop her or defend himself she would begin to hit herself, covering her arms in dark purple bruises and threatening to go to the police and say he beat and raped her. The police would always believe her, who would ever believe a man would be so _pathetic_ that he would allow a woman to beat him? 

Some nights she would go from screaming and hitting him one second to tearing his clothes off and fucking him the next. He never felt like he was actually in his body during those moments, like he was floating above the bed watching his doppelganger below him. 

Most of the bruises were on his stomach or arms so they were easy to cover up with long shirts and hoodies. He would play off the occasional blackeye or bloody lip by saying he had fallen or gotten mugged. No one ever questioned his stories and Kageyama knew they wouldn’t believe the truth anyway.

On the rare occasions that they would go out to a club or a party, Umi always had very strict expectations of Kageyama, and if he didn’t live up to them he was punished. To the rest of the world they were the perfect couple. Umi always knew exactly what to say to get people to fall in love with her, spinning together a new personality for whatever group she was with at the time. Kageyama was to play the role of stoic, doting, and protective boyfriend. He was expected to back up any lies and corroborate her stories. He was never supposed to take the attention away from her though, he was merely her accessory, these weren’t his friends they were _hers_. The only person Kageyama was allowed to have in his life was Umi. 

When he did step out of line she never showed her anger to those they were with, but Kageyama always knew. Her sickly sweet smile would never leave her face but her hand would grip him just a little too tightly, nails digging into his skin. Later that evening she would scream at him, telling him just how worthless and pathetic he was, how everyone there hated him and were only nice because she was there. He would be nothing without her, he would have no one because who could ever love someone like him? Kageyama was lucky she put up with him.

Over time Kageyama found that things were better if he just listened to her. He allowed himself to mold into the perfect little pet she expected. If he stopped struggling, stopped fighting, then she didn’t hurt him as often and he was given more freedom. So he let her break him, suck all traces of his own soul and personality out of him and replace it with what she wanted. He did whatever he could to make the nightmare a little more bearable.

Around the time of their one year anniversary Kageyama met Oikawa. During the day Kageyama worked as a cashier at 7/11 but at night he was a busboy at a local sushi restaurant. Oikawa had recently been hired as a waiter and took an instant liking to Kageyama. Even after multiple attempts of telling the other man to leave him alone, Kageyama could not get rid of the annoying pest that was Oikawa Tooru. Looking back he owed his life to Oikawa’s stubbornness.

One of Oikawa’s greatest gifts was his ability to observe others. He was always watching, taking note of normal patterns and behaviors so when something was out of place he would know. It didn’t take him long to notice something was wrong with Kageyama. At first it was the way Kageyama would flinch whenever Oikawa touched him. Then he noticed how Kageyama automatically ducked when he heard glass breaking. And when Kageyama came in with a black eye Oikawa picked at Kageyama’s story about being mugged, asking him why he hadn’t gone to the police, what did the guy look like, how did he get to work if he had lost his pass for the train?

After a few months of working together Oikawa finally wore Kageyama down and a friendship blossomed between the 2 of them. It was also the first time that Kageyama had ever met an openly gay man, and all of the questions from highschool came flooding back to him. Kageyama desperately wanted to talk to Oikawa about it but was too scared so he kept quiet. Plus he had Umi so he couldn’t be gay. 

One evening Oikawa invited Kageyama to his house for a party and insisted he brought Umi along so he could finally introduce the 2 of them. Oikawa was the one thing in Kageyama’s life that was _his_. He had never told Umi how close they had gotten because he knew the woman would take it away from him somehow. But Kageyama didn’t want to disappoint Oikawa so he agreed.

Before they had even left the apartment Umi had been in a foul mood. She wasn’t happy that they were going out to meet Kageyama’s friends. She insisted that Kageyama would forget all about her at the party and leave her alone, that she wouldn’t know anyone to talk to and would feel left out. She made Kageyama beg and promise to leave the second she didn’t want to be there anymore. 

The party was at the house Oikawa rented with a few of the other waiters from the restaurant. When they got there the celebration was already in full swing, loud music vibrated the ground down the block and there was a mountain of booze in the kitchen. Oikawa found them immediately and threw his arms around Kageyama in a tight hug. Kageyama introduced Umi and instead of her normal syrupy tone she used while they were in public her voice was ice. When she looked at Kageyama there were a thousand promises in her eyes, all of them made Kageyama’s stomach churn. 

As the night went on she constantly tried to drag Kageyama away from Oikawa but the other man was stuck to them like glue. Her mood grew more enraged with every sip from her cup and Kageyama tried his best to appease both her and Oikawa. It wasn’t until Oikawa dragged Kageyama to the dance floor that Umi snapped.

When he had gone out with Umi in the past, the woman never wanted to dance with him, instead taking the other men in their group out with her. She always told Kageyama that he was a horrible dancer and would just embarrass her in front of everyone, so she left him to sit at the table and hold her belongings while she had fun. Oikawa on the other hand pressed himself so close to Kageyama you would have thought they were joined at the belt. At that point Kageyama was fairly drunk and he let himself get lost in the act, all of his worries about Umi faded into the background and were replaced by the feeling of skin against skin and the vibration of the bass in his skull. His hands roamed Oikawa’s body and their hips slotted together perfectly, writhing against each other to the beat of the music. Every fantasy his internalized homophobia had suppressed came rising to the surface. 

At the end of the song he was achingly hard and confused. He didn’t have any time to dwell on his sexual awakening though because Umi ran up behind him and snatched his hand, dragging him to the nearest bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her. 

Before she would always start with screaming at him and then escalate to hitting, but this time she didn’t utter a single word before she kicked him between the legs. When he fell to the ground her foot connected with his chest, then his stomach, then his knees. All he could do was curl around himself while she kicked him ruthlessly, spewing out slurs and insults with every impact. Kageyama was sure she was going to kill him, and he would have let her, if Oikawa didn’t burst through the door. No one had ever witnessed her hitting him before and it must have startled her because she bolted, leaving Kageyama a bleeding broken mess on the floor. 

For the next week he stayed with Oikawa, going into very little detail about his relationship with Umi and how it had devolved over time. Oikawa convinced him to leave her, offering him support and a place to stay. The thought of leaving was always on Kageyama’s mind, but he had no one to run to, Umi had ruined every friendship he had ever had. But now Oikawa gave him hope, something he had never had before, and Kageyama could finally see the light. That was until Umi called Kageyama one morning to tell him that she was pregnant. 

Kageyama ran straight back to her and begged for forgiveness. A quick trip to the doctor told them that Umi was indeed 2 months pregnant and that they should expect their baby early July. Kageyama was terrified but also ecstatic. He had always wanted to be a father, and while the idea of becoming one at 19 was a little daunting he was overjoyed. 

Being pregnant also seemed to sedate Umi. She was still angry but she couldn’t drink anymore so she had become less violent. Kageyama thought this baby would be a new start for them, that it would help Kageyama and Umi heal their relationship so they could become a happy family. The first time he saw an ultrasound of the baby he cried, he carried the grainy black and white picture in his wallet and showed anyone who would look. It wasn’t even born yet and it had already become his whole world. 

Umi demanded even more from him while she was pregnant and Kageyama worked over 60 hours a week to provide for her, buy what they needed for the baby, and save for the hospital bills. He had worked himself past exhaustion but the day Rini was born and he got to hold her in his arms it was all worth it. The moment those big blue eyes looked up at him for the first time Kageyama finally knew what love was and he vowed from that day forward to do anything for her. 

The 3 days they spent in the hospital were some of the best days of Kageyama’s life. Umi was a caring and loving mother, constantly devoted to their little bundle of joy. They were a happy family and Kageyama fantasized about their perfect future together. 

When they got home from the hospital Kageyama had to go back to work, but Umi assured him that they would be fine. That morning when he left for work he watched Umi sleep soundly in their bed, her hand laying loosely between the bars of the crib so she could hold their daughter’s hand. He should have known that it was all too good to be true. 

Late that evening he came home to a cold dark apartment and Rini screaming in her crib. Her diaper was full and the baby had cried for so long and so hard that she was hoarse. Kageyama called Umi over and over but each time it went straight to voicemail. The woman had abandoned their newborn baby and left her alone in their apartment for hours.

White hot rage washed over Kageyama as he gently scooped up his daughter and soothed her. He could tolerate Umi doing awful things to him, he was grown and if he wanted to he could stop her, but their baby wasn’t even 4 days old yet. Not having anyone else to depend on, Kageyama called Oikawa, desperate for help. The other man dropped everything and came to his aid.

Oikawa temporarily moved into the tiny apartment and they worked out a schedule. Kageyama quit one of his jobs and the pair worked opposite shifts at the restaurant so someone was always able to take care of Rini. It was soul sucking, they were constantly working or taking care of a newborn, but they were barely making enough money to survive so it wasn’t possible for one of them to work less. 

When summer turned into fall and the leaves began to change so did their luck. Oikawa got a call that his grandmother had passed and in her will she left the deed to a run down bed and breakfast in the mountains to Oikawa. They stayed up late one night and talked about leaving, about how much work it would be, but if they were successful how much easier their lives would be. They thought about Rini and how she would get older, what kind of environment did they want her to grow up in?

Their minds were quickly settled and Kageyama began the process of filing for custody of his daughter. Umi had been absent for months, not dropping by to see her daughter even once. A court date had been decided and Kageyama continued to text Umi updates on the process with no response. The day of the trial she never showed and the judge signed away her parental rights and congratulated Kageyama on having a beautiful healthy little girl. 

After the trial they quickly packed up what little belongings they had, quit their jobs, and got ready for the move. Oikawa went ahead of Kageyama and Rini so he could settle the paperwork and make sure every i had been dotted and every t had been crossed. Finally, they were going to escape and make a better life for themselves. For the second time since they had known each other, Oikawa gave Kageyama hope. 

It was late the night before they were supposed to leave when Umi finally stumbled back into the apartment. She reeked of alcohol and looked like death. Her skin was pale and clammy, her hair was greasy, and her clothes carried the stench of cigarettes and stale sweat. She threw her arms around Kageyama and began pressing sloppy kisses down his neck, hands quickly finding their way down his pants. She groped him and told him how much she missed him, how much she loved him, how she had never stopped thinking about being in his arms. 

Kageyama pried her off of him and kept her at a distance. He told her that it was over, he was leaving. He had full custody of Rini now and they were moving far away where Umi couldn’t ever touch them again. The woman began to scream, she pounded her fists into Kageyama’s chest, but he stood there unwavering. This was the last time, after tomorrow morning he and Rini would be far away and Umi would be a distant nightmare.

Umi’s screaming inevitably woke up Rini and the second she heard the baby’s cries her rage turned from Kageyama and onto her daughter. She tried to push past him into the bedroom, saying that that _thing_ was the only thing standing between them being happy. She blamed Rini for her absence, saying the baby drove her crazy and she had to leave. How could Kageyama love _it_ more than her? After everything Umi had done for Kageyama he was just going to abandon her for some useless infant? 

After kicking Kageyama in the knee she managed to slip past him and into the bedroom. Kageyama saw her stomp her way over to the crib and a primal instinct to protect his daughter took control over his body. He bolted up off the floor and grabbed Umi’s arm, swinging her around and throwing her to the floor, hard. He had never laid a hand on her before, but he had to protect Rini, he couldn’t let Umi hurt her the way she had hurt him. 

Umi went hysterical. She was going to go to the cops and tell them Kageyama beat her, that he raped her. She was going to get Rini taken away from him and make sure he never saw her again. She was going to ruin his life. 

In the past Kageyama had always stayed silent. He had gotten very good at it over the years. First, during his childhood when he was the forgotten son. Then again in adolescence when he quietly faded to the background. And finally, in adulthood when he was Umi’s puppet and dog. But now standing in front of his screaming child he found his voice. 

He told Umi that she was a drunk and a liar. She had abandoned their daughter at 4 days old and never once made an attempt to see her again, not even having the decency to pretend to fight for custody. The police would smell the booze on her breath and immediately know she was lying, and then Kageyama would come forward about everything she had done in the past. He pulled out his phone and asked if she wanted him to call the police himself or if she wanted to save time and just walk down to the station now. 

His sudden confidence and bravery must have started Umi because she just sat on the floor and looked up at him stunned. She had finally been beaten in her own wicked game. With what little self preservation she had left, Umi gathered herself up off the floor and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. 

The next morning Kageyama and Rini were on the first train out of Tokyo and they never looked back. For 5 years they had lived at the Crow’s Nest and built a new life. Umi had never made any attempt to contact Kageyama or see their daughter until today. 

~~~

Hours had passed when Kageyama finished his story, the blue sky had turned scarlet as the sun dipped below the horizon. Multiple times Kageyama had to pause and sob into Hinata’s shoulder, unable to continue for several minutes. Throughout the entire tale Hinata sat in Kageyama’s arms. He never interrupted or made any attempt to move, instead sitting like an anchor in Kageyama’s lap so the grieving man didn’t float away in his sorrow. 

Now that it was over, that the words were no longer eating away at his chest, Kageyama felt exhausted. His eyes were out of tears and his head pounded in his skull. He slumped against Hinata, waiting for the other man to say or do something. Kageyama was sure now that Hinata knew everything he would run, he would see how broken and damaged Kageyama was and toss him aside. 

The silence that stretched between them felt infinite. It was the calm before the storm and Kageyama waited for the inevitable rejection he would receive. Finally, Hinata stirred and sat up in Kageyama’s lap to look him in the eyes.

Round doe eyes were rimmed red and tears poured down the other man’s cheeks. Trembling hands came up to cup Kageyama’s face and his thumbs gently traced Kageyama’s cheek bones. Hinata’s mouth opened and closed as he gathered the strength to speak.

“Kag...Tobio...I...I am so sorry.” The teacher was sobbing now as he looked into Kageyama’s listless blue eyes. “No one should ever have to go through what you went through. You are so strong for being able to survive and protect Rini like that….you’re amazing.” 

“I’m pathetic and weak. I let her beat me for years. I let her destroy me. I was just as useless and she said I was. The only reason I got out was for Rini...if it weren’t for her I would probably be dead.” He didn’t know if it would have been because of Umi’s drunken rage or by his own hand but Kageyama never expected to live to see his 21st birthday.

“No no no don’t say that. Kageyama you’re wonderful. You’re funny and smart and so dedicated. You built a business from the ground up with 0 experience. You’ve raised a beautiful daughter who is one of the kindest children I have ever taught. You’re a good friend and boss who cares and supports those around him. Every life you have touched is better because of you. _My_ life is better because of you.” Hinata’s tone was pleading, like he was begging Kageyama to understand what he was saying and believe him. 

“I know you don’t believe me. I know it must be hard to believe what I’m saying after everything you’ve been through. But I’m promising you right here right now Kageyama Tobio that I will help you believe those words some day. And I will also help you make sure that that **_bitch_ **never disturbs your lives again. We won't let her take Rini away.” Kageyama needed to believe those last words. Without Rini he had nothing, and he couldn’t let Umi ruin his daughter’s life too. 

They sat in that position until the sun had long disappeared and the soft glow of the moon crept through the window. Kageyama was exhausted but he needed to go home, he wanted to be close to his daughter. Hinata drove him back to the Crow’s Nest and they shared a silent hug that conveyed a million unspoken words. 

Kageyama lifelessly made his way to the front door of his house and pushed inside. Oikawa and Iwaizumi were huddled together on the couch watching TV, both sets of eyes snapping to Kageyama when he walked in. Oikawa was on his feet in an instant, gathering his best friend into his arms and holding him close. 

“Rini?” Just a single word sapped all of the energy Kageyama had left in his drained state. 

“Sound asleep. She had the time of her life teaching Iwa-chan all of the songs in Frozen. Do you want me to go back to my place tonight?” Kageyama gripped the back of Oikawa’s shirt and held the other man tighter.

“Stay.” It was a desperate plea for help. Kageyama needed the stability that Oikawa brought to his life. 

“Okay okay Tobio I’ll stay. You need to get ready for bed and I’ll walk Iwa out okay? I’ll meet you in the bedroom.” Kageyama shuffled his way through the house to his bedroom, he didn’t bother with his normal routine and instead just kicked off his pants and crawled under the cold comforter. He could hear Oikawa and Iwaizumi mumbling in the living room but he was too exhausted to try and understand what they were saying. The front door opened and closed and then he felt the other side of the bed dip under Oikawa’s weight. 

They didn’t say anything, just holding each other in the dark room. They didn’t need to say anything, they knew that tonight was the last night their lives would be at peace for a while. A storm was gathering in the distance, swiftly making its way towards them and they were woefully unprepared. Kageyama closed his eyes and let his exhaustion pull him into a restless sleep. His dreams were full of rain clouds and thunder, and he prayed that he would one day get to see the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry.... it had to be done. I promise you he WILL get a happy ending but things are going to get worse before they get better. My idea for the next chapter is still a little abstract so it won't come out as quickly as this one did. I hope you all enjoyed reading and thank you for continuing to leave nice comments <3 
> 
> I also want to give a little bit of a timeline (this will also help those of you who couldn't read Kageyama's backstory): Kageyama was 17 when he first met Umi. She was 23 at the time. They met during the summer and she moved in with him early fall. Kageyama's dad died right after Kageyama's highschool graduation (at this point he had turned 18). They were together for a year and then she got pregnant so he was 19 when Rini was born and Umi was 25. They've been gone for 5 years so now Kageyama is 24 and Umi is 30.


	8. Who Is Saving Who

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama learns that he has a lot of love in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 2 hard chapters this one is a bit of a break. There isn't much Kagahina but there are a lot of sweet and tender moments between Kageyama and those who care about him. Maybe this big doofus will finally realize how much people love and appreciate him! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and thank you for taking the time to read <3
> 
> EDIT: GUYS MY FRIEND DREW A  
> [PICTURE](https://twitter.com/a_very_smolfrog/status/1315711988455145473) OF RINI IN HER DINOSAUR DRESS. IT IS THE CUTEST THING EVER!

Kageyama received no warning before a tiny body hurled its way into the bed and onto his sleeping form. Tiny elbows and knees turned into daggers as they dug into his side and back. 

“Daddy, Uncle Tooru is here!” The little girl received 2 unenthusiastic grunts from the men in bed. Not deterred by their tepid response she bounced on the mattress between them, her excited giggles quickly chasing out the shadows that had filled the room last night. Kageyama laid there with his head buried under his pillow for a few more moments before he accepted defeat and sat up. Oikawa was not surrendering as easily and had drawn the blankets up over his head, as if the little girl would forget about him if he couldn’t be seen. 

Bright blue eyes looked over at Kageyama and a cheerful smile spread across Rini’s face. Her jubilant laughter mended Kageyama’s heart ache. The little girl didn’t even realize how much she was doing for him by just being her normal happy self. Rini jumped towards her father, giving him only a few precious seconds to recognize what she was doing and prepare to catch her, and snuggled into his chest. 

“Good morning Daddy!” Kageyama would have been content to stay there forever, wrapped up in warm blankets with his daughter in his arms. For a few moments it felt like the outside world couldn’t touch them, like they were in a snowglobe and this moment would be preserved forever. The father held her close and pressed several soft kisses to the crown of her head. When the little girl looked up at him again her eyes were overflowing with love and happiness, nothing like the cold dark eyes that haunted his dreams last night. For the first time Kageyama found himself thankful that Rini had inherited his eye color and not her mother’s.

“Good morning Bunny. What do you want for breakfast?” 

“I want Uncle Tooru to make me magic eggs!” Truthfully, there was nothing magic about the eggs Oikawa made Rini. Before the little girl refused to eat them but then one morning Oikawa put in a few drops of food coloring in and claimed that the eggs were different because they came from special magic chickens, and voila, Rini loved eating eggs. 

The magic man himself just let out a low grumble and burrowed deeper into the bed. 

“There is no Uncle Tooru. I am just a figment of your imagination.” The blob grumbled. 

“Daddy what’s a figment?” 

“Something you made up. Like an imaginary friend.” The little girl nodded sagely at his words and looked over at the other adult (though in this moment Kageyama felt like the word was a bit of a stretch) in bed. She climbed off of Kageyama’s lap and ripped the pillow off of Oikawa’s head, revealing an untamed mess of chestnut colored hair. One eye cracked open to look up at the little girl who had unearthed him. 

“Uncle Tooru you’re not my imaginary friend, you’re my real friend.” Slowly she leaned down and pressed the most delicate kiss to Oikawa’s temple, like he might fall apart under her tiny pink lips. “You’re my bestest friend with Daddy! And I love you!”

Even the most evil and heartless man in the world would have melted under the sincerity of the little girl’s confession, but Oikawa did have a heart, a very big one that belonged almost entirely to said little girl. The man sat up and clutched Rini to his chest, peppering her face and head with kisses as he pulled her into his embrasse. 

“Awwww Bunny-chan I love you so much! I don’t understand how Tobio-chan made something so cute and sweet. You must have gotten all your charm from me.” Kageyama couldn’t even roll his eyes at Oikawa’s comment because he was too busy taking in the moment. His heart felt like it was going to burst in his chest as he watched his family. They had worked so hard to build this life for Rini and yesterday Kageyama felt lost and hopeless. He was terrified that all their hard work was going to be ruined, but looking at them now he knew that wasn’t the case. He would never stop fighting to protect Rini and he knew Oikawa wouldn’t either. All Rini had known her entire life was love and happiness, and Kageyama intended to keep it that way.

“Okay why don’t you go with Daddy to get ready and I’ll make you your magic eggs.” 

The Kageyama’s went to prepare Rini for school and Oikawa made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. Soon the smell of eggs and coffee filled the house and Kageyama’s stomach let out a growl. He had been so distracted by everything that happened yesterday he neglected to eat both lunch and dinner. 

“What do you want to wear today Bunny?” The large man started shifting through the closet full of a myriad of tiny brightly colored clothes. 

“Can I wear the dress Tsukki got me for Christmas?!” Said dress was a white dress covered in chibi stegosaurus figures, complete with small dark green triangle spikes down the spine. Tsukishima often lamented about the lack of dinosaur apparel in the little girl’s section at the store, grumbling that dinosaurs didn’t belong to one gender. This dress was one of Rini’s favorites.

After Rini was dressed for the day (Kageyama was still wearing only boxers and his shirt from yesterday), the duo made their way to the dining room where 2 plates piled high with purple colored eggs sat on the table waiting for them. Rini gasped and looked down at the plate with wide eyes. 

“They’re purple.” She whispered in astonishment. Oikawa grinned brightly over the rim of his coffee mug. Kageyama hoped that Rini never grew out of being amazed by things, he never wanted her to grow jaded and ignore the little moments in life. Kageyama gobbled down his plate and quickly threw on a respectable outfit so he could take Rini to school. When he went back into the kitchen, Oikawa had already backed Rini’s lunch for the day and was storing it in her backpack. 

“Thank you….for this morning and last night.” Oikawa handed Kageyama Rini’s backpack and gave him a pat on the cheek. 

“You’re welcome Tobio-chan, but my services don’t come free. You owe me a lifetime supply of milk bread for my efforts. Now go take Bunny-chan to school. I’m going back to bed, some of us need our beauty rest.” And with a flick of his wrist the brunette shooed Kageyama out of his way and made his way back to Kageyama’s bedroom, promptly closing the door behind him. 

Rini’s good mood that morning meant that the little girl sang every song on the radio while they drove to school, and even Kageyama found himself humming along. After the nightmare he had lived the past 24 hours, this morning had been the perfect pick me up. When they pulled up to the school Hinata was standing out on the sidewalk smiling at the children as they walked inside. When the teacher spotted their car he gave a wave and jogged over. 

“Good morning Kageyama! Good morning Rini!.” His smile was bright and cheery but Kageyama didn’t miss the way Hinata looked at him, worry swimming in his eyes. 

“Hinata-sensei look at my cool dress!” Rini enthusiastically twirled around so Hinata could see the spikes that ran down her back.

“Wow that might be the coolest dress I’ve ever seen! Hey Rini why don’t you go inside and get ready. I need to talk to your dad for a minute.” Hinata kneeled down and looked Rini in the eyes, a serious look had settled over his face. “I need someone to help me feed the fish today and I think you’d be the perfect helper. Do you think you can do that?”

A gasp escaped the little girl's lips and she nodded her head enthusiastically, black bangs flopping against her forehead. 

“Good I knew I could count on you! Now you go wait in the room. I’ll be there in a moment.” His words spurred the little girl into action. She hastily gave her father a hug goodbye and then sprinted in the building towards her class. 

“Wow she had magic eggs for breakfast, gets to wear her favorite dress to school, _and_ she gets to help feed the fish. Today might be the best day ever for her.” Hinata stood and gave Kageyama a questioning look, tilting his head to the side slightly.

“Magic eggs?” The father laughed.

“It’s a long story...so um..what did you need to talk to me about?” Even though he had had a good morning Kageyama was still exhausted. One look in the mirror this morning showed him the toll that the events that had transpired yesterday had taken on him. He had dark circles under his eyes and his face was pale like he was sick. It was easier to pretend it all didn’t exist when he had Rini around to distract him, he also didn’t want her to realize anything was wrong with him, but now that she was gone he felt the full brunt of his sleepless night. 

“Actually Ushijima wanted to speak with you..with uh both of us actually about Rini’s mother and how the school is going to handle the situation.” Yesterday Ushijima had seemed almost indifferent to the situation. Hinata was the one who stepped in and stopped Umi from checking Rini out of school and the principle had stayed quiet throughout most of the meeting. Kageyama nodded his head and followed Hinata inside the building, walking through the steady stream of elementary students excited to start their day. 

Without Umi there the office seemed a lot brighter. The desk was made out of dark cherry wood that glowed auburn under the morning sun that streamed through the window. All of the bookshelves were crammed full of books on teaching, behavior, nutrition, and child care. Along the windowsill there were several trays full of small seedlings that were just beginning to sprout, their tiny green stems stretching towards the sunlight. 

Ushijima sat at his desk, fingers clicking away at the keys on his laptop. Without looking up he gestured at the chairs in front of his desk.

“Please have a seat. And Hinata will you also close the door?” Kageyama looked down at the chairs and he vividly remembered Umi sitting there yesterday, and he swore he could still smell her perfume in the air. He chose to stand. 

After a few more moments of silence Ushijima finished whatever he was working on and closed his laptop, golden eyes finally looked up from the screen and settled on Kageyama.

“I apologize, I was sending an email to an old friend. I want to thank you for coming in and meeting me today. I assure you this won’t take much time. Let’s get straight to the point shall we? Rini’s mother attempted to take her out of school yesterday and it is obvious from your reaction that you 2 do not have a good relationship.” Hinata cast a worried glance at Kageyama, not good was a blasé way to define what he and Umi had. 

“I have already alerted the faculty and staff that she is not Rini’s guardian and therefore should not be allowed to pick her up from school. I’ve also asked them to alert me if they see her on school property so we can notify you.” Kageyama felt relief wash over him. Rini would be safe at school, Umi couldn’t sneak and steal her away when he wasn’t there. 

“Thank you Ushijima-sama. Your cooperation is very much appreciated.” Kageyama had been worried that because Umi was a woman the school would want to cooperate with her. People were always more sympathetic towards women, especially a woman with a child. The father had been fully prepared to pull Rini out of school if needed, not willing to risk his daughter’s safety because someone thought a child was better off with their mother. Kageyama had been questioned multiple times by nosy guests about Rini’s mother, telling him that Rini needed a female presence in her life and she was missing out on a maternal bond. No one ever talked about how important _his_ bond with Rini was, only telling him about how sorry they felt for the little girl for not having her mother. 

“Of course. The safety of our students is our top priority. I also wanted to give you this.” He handed Kageyama a dark blue business card. “This is the contact information for my friend I was emailing a moment ago. She is a lawyer who specializes in family law. I hope you don’t mind but I spoke to her briefly about your situation and she is willing to represent you.” Shimizu Kiyoko stood out in bright gold lettering against the inky blue background. Daishou’s words from yesterday came flooding back to Kageyama. 

_“My client will be refiling for custody.”_ Umi was going to try and take Rini away, or at least get visitation. Kageyama knew she was a monster but he also knew how good she was at fooling those around her. She had a face that people couldn’t help but fall for and she could weave together a new personality for any event, flipping through them as easily as she changed clothes. Oikawa, and now Hinata, were the only people who knew what she did to him. 

He had tried to go to the police once, in the beginning when she had broken one of his ribs, but they brushed him off. When Kageyama told them that Umi was 9 inches shorter than him and weighed 120lbs soaking wet they rolled their eyes. They told him that they would follow up with him later but the phone call never came. He had reached out for help and they left him there to drown. 

After that he told no one. There were no official police reports about the abuse. No doctors appointments or photos. Just Kageyama’s word against Umi’s and the man had seen time and time again that people would always pick her over him. 

“She is very good at what she does, I assure you. I urge you to contact her as soon as possible so you can get ahead of this before the court date has been settled.” This woman was the only thing standing between Kageyama keeping full custody and losing his daughter forever. He doubted anyone other than the devil himself could be cunning enough to win this war. 

“T-thank you Ushijima-sama. I will call her today.” Kageyama felt sick and he found himself desperately wishing for more time. More time to be with Rini, more time to forget about Umi, more time to prepare. He didn’t want to deal with all of this. He just wanted to seal himself away and pretend like none of this was happening, like the rest of the world didn’t exist behind his bedroom door. 

He followed Hinata out of Ushijima’s office and just stood in the front lobby of the school, processing the million items that just got added to his to-do list. Hinata looked up at him with worried eyes, his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. 

“Hey just take a deep breath okay? I know this is all overwhelming but you’re not alone. You’ve Oikawa, me, and all of your staff. We will help you get through all of this.” Kageyama wanted to believe him, he wanted more than anything to think that his friends would support him through all of this, but he couldn’t. He had seen in the past how easy it was for Umi to charm people, people Kageyama thought he could rely on. Everyone always loved Umi, they adored her and told Kageyama how lucky he was to have her, to have someone who was so amazing as she was. 

“Yea...um thanks…” His words did little to soothe the worried look on Hinata’s face but the teacher didn’t press the conversation any further. Kageyama left the school clutching the business card in his hands. His mind was a million miles away but muscle memory managed to get him home in one piece. 

Oikawa and Daichi were at the front desk talking softly to each other when Kageyama walked in. 

“Yahoo! Tobio-chan finally you’re home! I thought I was going to have to send out a search party. Come come we are having a family meeting in the kitchen.” The raven haired man was swept away by his friend and led into the kitchen where the rest of the staff had congregated. A hush fell over the room when they walked in. 

“Ok my little chicks I call this family meeting to order! The Wicked Witch of the West has appeared and we need to put together a plan to fight off her and her evil monkeys.” Clearly no one understood Oikawa’s metaphor because the staff just stood there lamely, blank expressions on their faces. The brunette huffed out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

“You guys are no fun. The Wizard of Oz? Anyone? No okay well nevermind. Yesterday Rini’s mother tried to kidnap her from school.” This elicited a much stronger reaction from the men in the room. Both Tsukishima and Iwaizumi sat up from the counter they were leaning on. Tanaka let out an actual growl and Noya picked up a large skillet from the sink and raised it over his head ready for battle. Asahi gasped and gripped Daichi’s arm with white knuckles and a hardened expression settled across the latter’s face. Kageyama found himself startled at how angry they all looked. 

“Yes, good that's the reaction I like to see!” Brown eyes cast a quick glance over to Kageyama before Oikawa began speaking again. This time his voice softened considerably. “You all have a vague understanding of what this woman is like and why she is not in our sweet Bunny-chan’s life, but I promise you that is not even the tip of the iceberg. This woman is sugar coated poison and we have to be on high alert now. She wants to refile for custody but Tobio and I will do everything in our power to make sure she doesn’t lay a single claw on our Bunny.

I gave you all a basic description of her yesterday so if anyone like that comes in and asks about Rini or Kageyama do not answer them. I know you all are already working hard but if Bunny is around keep an extra eye on her. I wouldn’t put it past that witch to try and do something drastic like lure Bunny away.” Brown eyes glanced over at Kageyama again and Oikawa paused like he was going to say something else but didn’t.

“If we see her can we whoop her ass!?” At some point during Oikawa’s speech Noya had grabbed another frying pan and held both of them at the ready. Tanaka nodded his head eagerly in agreement and rolled up the sleeves on his shirt. 

“I normally wouldn’t hit a lady but I’ll make an exception this time! I dare her to try and come in here and take Bunny!” 

“You imbeciles are like a pack of rabid dogs. You can’t assault someone...even if they deserve it.” Tsukishima added that last part softly. Even though he wasn’t as enthusiastic as Tanaka and Noya the blonde had always been the most protective of Rini, Kageyama had no doubt he was seething under the surface.

“Whatever you need Kags just ask us. We will do anything for you and Rini.” Suddenly, Kageyama found it difficult to swallow. All of the other men nodded in agreement with Asahi’s words.

“Whatever you need, boss! Just say the word and we will be there!” 

“T-thank you but I can handle this on my own...just make sure Rini is okay...I..don’t want her to understand what's going on. I just want her to stay happy.” Kageyama was overwhelmed with the reaction from his staff. It eased some of his anxiety knowing that they would help keep Rini safe and happy and hopefully with their help the little girl would never know that any of this had transpired. 

“We are here for _both_ of you Kageyama. Taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of Rini. It won’t take her long to notice something is wrong if you’re not taking care of your own mental health.” It was Iwaizumi who spoke this time. He had been there when Kageyama came home last night and had witnessed the state he was in. No amount of acting would make Iwaizumi believe that he was handling this well. The waiter stood leaning against the stainless steel counter, arms crossed over his chest, dark green eyes trained in a steely gaze at Kageyama. 

“I have to go make a few phone calls. You can all get back to work now.” Thankfully no one followed him back to his office and Kageyama was able to safely seal himself inside. He sat down at his desk and laid his head down against the cool wooden surface. There was a long list of things that required his attention but all he wanted to do was sleep. The business card that Ushijima gave him felt heavy in his pocket. 

Kageyama knew that he should call. He knew that he needed to get everything together so when Umi finally did make the first move he would be prepared, but just the thought of it all overwhelmed him. He didn’t want to do this, he didn’t want to have this fight. Why did she have to come back? They were perfectly happy without her there, and Kageyama had no doubt that they had barely crossed her mind in the 5 years they had been absent. So why now? All of these questions and worries swirled around in Kageyama’s head and made him feel dizzy. He just needed 5 seconds, 5 seconds to pause the world around him and take a deep breath. 

Kageyama lifted his head and looked around his office. Every inch of the space was covered in something that was Rini’s. Hundreds of memories came flooding back to him, and even though she was at school he could feel her presence in the room. He saw her sitting at her little table pretending to work on spreadsheets just like him or curled up in the bean bag chair asleep swaddled in one of his hoodies. He had worked so hard at building this business so she would have a safe environment to grow up in and he couldn’t stop now. 

The business card had crumpled slightly in his pocket but the numbers were still easy to read as he typed them into his phone. It rang 3 times before the receiver clicked and he heard the soft sound of a woman’s voice. 

“Hello, this is Shimizu Kiyoko. May I ask who is calling?” 

“Uh hi this is Kageyama Tobio...Ushijima-sama gave me your phone number.” 

“Ah yes Kageyama-san. Wakatoshi emailed me about your situation last night. I would be more than happy to provide you with legal representation if that is why you are calling.” 

“Uh um yes….please.” Kageyama said lamely. The last time they had gone to court for custody Kageyama had a state assigned lawyer that showed up 10 minutes late to the trial. Thankfully, Umi didn’t show up so the man’s “expertise” wasn't needed but Kageyama knew that this custody battle would be much different than the last. 

“Well then we should meet as soon as possible to prepare. Wakatoshi also told me that your daughter’s god-father is one of her guardians? It would be best if he accompanied you to the meetings since he plays an important role in her life. I need you to bring any and all documentation you have on your last custody trial and documentation that you have been caring for your daughter. Things like receipts for food, doctors bills, pay stubs, and school fees are all important.” 

Kageyama quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing down everything Shimizu told him. Thankfully, running all of the accounts for the Crow’s Nest had made him very organized in his own life and he kept spreadsheets for his own budget and spending. 

“My next opening is Monday afternoon at 3:30pm. Does that work for you?” 

“Uh yea we can do that.” He received a hum in response, there was the sound of keys clicking in the background. 

“Wonderful. I will see you then. Have a good day Kageyama-san.”

“Y-you too.” And with that the other end of the receiver clicked off.

~~~

The rest of Kageyama’s week went as well as he could have hoped. Rini was still her usual bubbly self and didn’t have a clue that her father was slowly crumbling on the inside. Oikawa came over for dinner almost every night. Kageyama knew he was trying to keep an extra close eye on him but he would be lying if he said the company wasn’t welcome. 

Kageyama was constantly in a state of exhaustion. Some nights he would toss and turn for hours, unable to make his mind stop racing long enough for him to fall asleep. On nights where sleep did find him it was fitful and he woke up feeling more dead than alive. He managed to hold himself together when Rini was around but while she was at school he would often just sit in his office and stare at the computer screen, lost in thought until his alarm told him it was time to go collect Rini from school. 

Hinata called him almost every night to see how he was doing. The redhead wanted to come over and check up on him but they didn’t want Rini to ask any questions and Kageyama refused to leave her for the night to go over to the teacher’s apartment. Kageyama felt guilty for worrying Hinata and taking up so much of his time. He deserved someone who could make him happy, someone who wasn’t a broken mess of a man and could love him the way he deserved to be loved. 

Some nights they would lay on the phone for hours in silence, others Hinata would talk about everything under the sun while Kageyama laid in bed and just listened. On those nights Kageyama always slept soundly, and instead of dreaming about cold dark thunder storms he dreamt about the warmth of the spring sun. 

~~~

In an attempt to keep Rini’s schedule as normal as possible Kageyama still had Kuroo and Akaashi over Sunday afternoon for a playdate. A summer storm had settled in the mountains and the sheets of rain kept them all inside Kageyama’s living room. The children were sequestered away in Rini’s room playing games while the adults all sat on the couch talking quietly. 

Suddenly, Kageyama heard what sounded like knocking at his door. At first he thought it was a trick of the ear or that the storm was knocking a branch against the house but then he heard it again; 3 distinct knocks against woods. He excused himself and walked to the front door. Standing in the rain was a man dressed in a long black trench coat who was fruitlessly attempting to shield himself with a flimsy umbrella. 

“Are you Kageyama Tobio?!” He had to shout to be heard over a particularly violent roll of thunder. 

“Yes?” The man fished a hand inside his jacket and pulled out a blue packet of paper from his breast pocket. He thrusted it out and handed it to Kageyama.

“You’ve been served.” Now with his mission complete the man turned around and left leaving Kageyama standing in the doorway. Shutting the door quietly, Kageyama numby flipped open the papers in his hands as he shuffled towards the living room. Tiny black words printed neatly on the slightly damp paper told him that Umi was taking him to court for custody and that the court date was set for a month from now. His eyes glazed over the rest of the information, the words seemed to blur and blend together on the paper and he couldn’t discern one from the other.

“Hey buddy you okay?” Kuroo and Akaashi were both looking at him with concern from their positions on the couch. Recognition flickered in Kuroo’s eyes when they fell on the familiar blue packet in Kageyama’s hands. 

“Dude are you getting sued?” In his years as an officer Kuroo had been served several times and had been called to court to testify in the cases he was involved in. 

“I...Rini’s...her mom...wants custody.” Some small part of Kageyama had been hoping that it had all been a baseless threat, that Umi would see that Kageyama wasn’t going to back down and decide it would be too much work and leave again. But the papers in his hands made it very clear that she was serious.

“Kageyama-san please come sit.” Kageyama sunk into the couch next to Akaashi, staring blankly at the black TV screen across from him. He should be scared or anxious, he should have a million things running through his head that flung him into a panic, but he just felt numb. His mind was blank and all he could do was stare at the papers on the coffee table, maybe if he did that long enough they would burst into flames or disappear. 

“Kageyama-san would you like some tea? Should I go get Oikawa-san?” Kageyama took a deep breath and nodded his head no. He would talk to Oikawa about it tomorrow. Right now his friend was on a much deserved date with Iwaizumi and it had taken hours of Kageyama assuring Oikawa that he would be fine to get the other man to go. 

“No..no I’ll talk to him later. I um I’m sorry. I don’t want to bother you guys with this stuff.” It felt like 7 years of Kageyama’s dirty laundry was on display for the world to see. Everyone at the Crow’s Nest knew about Umi now so hell why not the other parents too? Maybe he should call his hairdresser and let them know the details, or the teenager who checks him out at the grocery store. Better yet he should just rent out space in the local paper and type it out there so the whole town could be informed. 

“Hey dude you’re fine. Us dads have to stick together. If there is anything you need just give me or Kenma a call.”

“Us as well. I know Bokuto-san can be a bit much sometimes but he is very fond of you.” Both of the men gave Kageyama soft sincere looks that made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Sure their kids were close and they hung out every week but surely they couldn’t care that much about him, they barely knew him. Did they consider Kageyama a friend? 

“Um t-thanks. I’m just trying to keep things normal for now. I don’t want any of this to affect Rini.” 

“Of course Kageyama-san. Please don’t hesitate to call if you need us to watch her for an afternoon or evening. The boys enjoy her company and would love to have her over.” 

“So does this mean the birthday party is still on for next weekend?” Kageyama’s heart stopped at Kuroo’s words and time seemed to freeze around him. Birthday party. As in Rini’s birthday party that was next Saturday. 6 days from today. The party that Rini had made personalized invitations for and handed out earlier that month. Her 6th birthday that Kageyama had completely forgotten about. He dropped his head into his hands and let out a long groan. Kuroo gave him a sympathetic chuckle.

“Don’t worry Daddy we won’t tell her you forgot. It shouldn’t be that hard to throw something together. Thankfully at this age they’re easily impressed.” Truthfully there wasn’t much planning that needed to be done. They always had her party in the backyard and in previous years the only attendees had been the staff. Tsukishima always baked a cake and did his best to bring to life whatever scribbles Rini gave him as inspiration for the design. They ordered pizza or had sandwiches and Rini played in the sun with all of them and her new toys. 

He just felt like shit for forgetting. Growing up the only thing he received for his birthday was a generic card from his father and whatever toys or games he had put down on his list. It wasn’t until he and Oikawa moved and started rebuilding the Crow’s Nest that he had his first birthday party. Kageyama made sure that every year Rini had a good birthday that she could remember as she got older. 

“You’re right. I just can’t believe I forgot. I’m such a terrible father.”

“Ah don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re stressed and it’s not like you missed it or anything. Plus I’ll be there this year so you know it’s going to be awesome. I can even bring the police cruiser and let her play with all the lights and stuff. Ran always gets a kick out of that.” 

“That's...actually not a terrible idea.” 

“Hey I am full of good ideas. Bokuto told me last weekend that I’m a genius.” If Bokuto was the one determining what was and was not a good idea then the world was doomed. Before Kageyama could open his mouth to respond a large crack of lightning illuminated the sky and the house was plunged into darkness. This prompted 4 frightened screams from down the hall and suddenly each parent had a lap full of hysterical children. 

Kageyama felt 4 tiny hands clutch his shirt and a quick pat of each head told him neither child was his but rather Akaashi’s. He wrapped his arms around the 2 boys and pulled them into his chest trying to sooth them. Lightning flashed again causing each of the little ones to scream and huddle closer to the adults. 

“Hey hey guys relax it’s okay. It’s just a storm, it won’t hurt you in here.” Kuroo’s words did little to sooth the frightened children and the next flash of lightning was accompanied by thunder so loud that it rattled the window frames. The time between flashes was getting shorter meaning the storm was creeping closer. 

“Why don’t we build a fort? We won’t be able to see the lightning inside the blankets and we can play games until the storm is gone.” Silence hung heavy in the air between lightning strikes before one of the frightened balls in Kageyama’s lap spoke.

“Okay...but you have to make it quick!” Kageyama gently deposited both of the boys next to their father and Kuroo did the same with Ran. Akaashi was soon buried underneath a pile of quivering children that shrieked with every lightning strike. 

Kuroo fumbled through the dark until he found Rini’s room where he proceeded to collect every blanket and stuffed animal he could fit in his arms. Kageyama went to his own room and gathered his comforter and pillows. The fathers worked quickly, dragging the dining room chairs into the living room and draping the various blankets over them to create a lopsided tent. It was definitely going to be a tight fit. Kageyama went to the kitchen and grabbed the flashlight he kept under the sink and a stack of Go Fish cards from one of the drawers. 

The structural integrity of their fort was pathetic at best and all of the adults had to hunch over so their heads didn’t pop out between the blankets. The flashlight lit up the space with a pale yellow light that was barely strong enough for them to comfortably look at the cards in their hands. The tight space seemed to help the children relax and while they still tensed with each lightning strike and roll of thunder, they no longer screamed and cowered in fear. 

In order for everyone to fit the children had to sit on their parent’s laps so they played Go Fish as teams instead of individuals. Rini’s chubby fingers had a difficult time holding all the cards so Kageyama held them in front of her while she organized them and picked the pairs. 

It was a bit ridiculous, 3 large grown men hunched over in a tiny fort playing Go Fish with their children, but Kageyama didn’t mind. These were the memories that he wanted Rini to have. He could buy her every toy in the store or let her eat all the dessert she wanted but those things didn’t truly matter. These soft and silly moments were the ones he hoped she remembered fondly as she grew older.

None of them noticed as the lightning became more infrequent and the thunder became a distant rumble. Eventually the lights flicked back on but Hakaku quickly scurried out of the fort and flipped them back off. They stayed huddled together under the blankets for hours, long after the rain had stopped tapping on the windows and grey clouds crawled their way back into the mountains. 

After no less than 100 games of Go Fish the other families finally left and the mighty fort was torn down and returned to its basic building materials. Kageyama quickly snatched the papers off of the coffee table and placed them out of Rini’s reach on top of his dresser. She wouldn’t be able to read the document but he didn’t want any part of this touching her, even something as simple as her seeing the papers was too much. 

The rest of the evening was much more uneventful. They ate dinner and Rini had her bath, after watching a few episodes of cartoons Kageyama declared that it was bedtime. 

“Can I sleep with you tonight Daddy?” Rini looked up at him with a yawn and a chubby fist lifted to rub big blues eyes that were droopy with sleep. Kageyama resonated with the little girl, even though it was only 7:30 he felt exhausted. 

“Is everything okay? Have you been having bad dreams?” It wasn’t often but every once and a blue moon Kageyama was woken up in the middle of the night by a sniffling figure shrouded in a Princess Elsa blanket.

“No but if the storm comes back I don’t want to be alone.” Kageyama opened his mouth to explain that the storm wouldn’t be coming back but quickly stopped himself. Rini was growing older every day and soon there would be a time where she wouldn’t want him to comfort her in this way. She was going to grow up and face the world on her own, Kageyama would always be there for her but at some point she wouldn’t need him to be. He looked down at the sleepy blue eyes that blinked up at him, right now she did need him and he was going to make sure he made these moments count. 

“Ok. Let me get ready for bed.” 

That night Kageyama laid in bed with Rini curled up against his side, her tiny fist clutching his shirt softly while she slept. He watched the slow rise of her chest for hours, trying to memorize the way each eyelash fell against her pudgy cheeks and how her nose wrinkled as she dreamed. Recently it felt like his whole world was falling apart but his daughter never failed to ground him. Kageyama’s need to protect and save her is what drove him but in reality it was Rini that saved him. One day when she was older and was able to understand he would thank her properly, but for now he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead and hoped that his love was enough.

EDIT 9/05/2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it wasn't boring! After the last 2 chapters I wanted a little slice of life to break the drama. Next chapter will be full of happiness, romance and drama so stay tuned!
> 
> Thank you for reading and and for continuing to leave such lovely comments and kudos! I hypothesize that this story will be around 11-12 chapters but I kind of generate the plot as I go so that is a very rough estimate.


	9. The First Day of Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After almost a decade of winter Kageyama starts to thaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a mostly happy chapter with lots of growth for Kageyama! There is still a lot of growing he has to do so don't expect everything to be sunshine and rainbows from now on but the general trend will be up! 
> 
> I also wanted to note that I aged Ushijima and Kiyoko up in this fic. They're both in their late 30's early 40's (Kageyama became a dad at a very young age) I just didnt want you guys to think that a 26 year old had been a successful lawyer for over a decade. Kageyama, Oikawa, and Hinata are the youngest characters in this story (besides the kids duh). With all of them being 24/25. The majority of the characters are in their early 30s late 20s. 
> 
> Trigger Warnings!  
> -Mention of the death of a child  
> This is very brief but if you wish to skip it please read until (the ones I lost) and then control f to (Rini’s mother sounds a lot like Sakura’s father)  
> -Homophobic slurs  
> There is 1 slur towards the end of the chapter.

Kageyama’s leg bounced restlessly as he sat in the cold leather chair in the waiting room of Sejoh law firm. Oikawa sat next to him flipping halfheartedly through one of the outdated magazines that sat on the coffee table in front of them. Rini was at home with Iwaizumi watching over her and while he knew that she was in good hands, he couldn’t help but feel nervous at the fact that it wasn’t him or Oikawa there. 

A woman with long black hair in an emerald green dress stepped into the room with them. 

“Kageyama-san? I am Shimizu Kiyoko. We can step into my office now.” Her voice was soft and was exactly what you would expect when looking at her delicate features. Kageyama nodded and both he and Oikawa followed her down the hallway. The law firm was large and expensively decorated. Everything was framed in dark rich mahogany with white walls and seafoam green accents. It screamed money that Kageyama didn’t have but if he was going to help him keep custody of his daughter then there was no price tag too large. 

They followed her into a large corner office. 2 of the 4 walls were windows and gave them a breathtaking view of the mountains. Shimizu sat behind a large oak desk and gestured for Kageyama and Oikawa to take a seat across from her. The office was minimally decorated but small notes of home still brightened the room. Pictures of family sat on her desk and on the bookshelves. Several plants in decorative pots outlined the windows. A large and well loved knitted blanket was folded neatly in a basket at the edge of the desk. 

“Thank you for being available on such short notice Shimizu-san. I’m sure you’re very busy.” Even though she was quiet there was an air about her that demanded respect. Her dark grey eyes were sharp and Kageyama knew that nothing ever got past them. 

“Wakatoshi is a good friend very rarely does he ask for favors. When he contacted me about you I knew it was important.” Steel eyes looked from Kageyama over to Oikawa. “And I assume that you are the god-father?” 

“Yes. Oikawa Tooru.”

“Well Oikawa-san and Kageyama-san I wish we were meeting on more pleasant terms. Have you brought the documents I requested?” Kageyama nodded and quickly reached down into his bag to grab the files. He placed the same manila envelope that Oikawa brought to Ushijima’s office down on the desk, along with a flashdrive. Shimizu opened the folder immediately and started flipping through the documents.

“The folder has all of the paperwork from the original custody case in Tokyo. The flashdrive has my budget and expenses along with copies of school fees, pay stubs, and medical expenses.” The woman hummed at the information as she flipped quickly through the papers. She stopped when she reached the end of the file, grey eyes landed on a glossy photo of Rini. 

“Is this her?” There was a soft smile on her face as she looked at Rini’s bright smile. 

“Y-yes. It’s her school photo.” She was dressed in the same blue corduroy dress that she wore to the first day of school. Her long silky black hair was in 2 neat braids with little blue bows at the end of each. 

“She is beautiful. So I see here in the files that Rini’s mother never showed up to the original custody hearing.”

“Yes, that's right. The judge gave me full custody after that and we moved here to start our business.”

“Has she made any attempt to contact you before this?” Kageyama shook his head. 

“No. This is the first time I’ve seen here since right after Rini was born. That was almost 6 years ago now.”

“How long were you with Rini’s mother?” Kageyama’s hands clenched in his lap. He knew there would be questions about his and Umi’s relationship but it didn’t make it any easier to talk about. Ever since Umi had walked back into their lives, Kageyama felt raw. For so long he had ignored it but now with every new person he had to tell it felt like he was constantly picking at the wounds in his chest. For a few days he would find peace and then he would have to rip them open again and tell someone else about the horrors of his past. 

“W-we were together for roughly 2 years when she got pregnant. I-I was 19 and she was 25 when Rini was born.”

“And how would you describe your relationship with her mother?” Shimizu said the words softly, like she knew that the weight of them might blow Kageyama over the edge. Grey eyes looked at him expectantly; she already knew the answer but she needed to hear it from him. Oikawa placed a warm hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle and sympathetic look. He knew it hurt to say it again but it was for Rini.

Shakily Kageyama told Shimizu an abridged version of what he told Hinata. He told her about how he first met Umi and about the verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. Oikawa’s hand migrated down and wrapped around Kageyama’s shaking fingers. After Kageyama told Hinata the whole story he also sat down and told Oikawa everything. If Tooru was going to stand by his side during this fight he deserved to know it all. He sat there silently while Kageyama spoke, it wasn’t any easier to tell the story a second time. Not a single tear ran down Oikawa’s cheek the entire time and when Kageyama finished the brunette pulled him into a bone crushing hug. They sat in silence for a while before Oikawa pulled away and looked at Kageyama with a hardened gaze, his once warm rich chocolate eyes were cold and enraged. 

_ “We are going to beat this bitch once and for all.”  _ That single sentence was the only thing he said. 

Shimizu sat and listened intently to Kageyama. She reached into her desk and pulled out a box of tissues, placing them in front of Kageyama when he had finished his story. The silence in the room was heavy.

“Sadly, domestic violence against men is often ignored or unreported. The stigmas surrounding it forces victims into silence. The horrors that you went through are atrocious and it took a great deal of strength to be able to leave that for your daughter. You are a good man Kageyama-san. And you too Oikawa-san for helping him out of that situation.” While he had been talking she had pulled out a small notebook and had jotted down a few notes. She had also pulled out a business card and slid it across the desk towards Kageyama. Man, he was getting a lot of them these days. 

“Kageyama-san this is the contact info for a colleague of mine, Dr. Semi Eita. He is a psychiatrist and I think you should meet with him. He specializes in abuse victims and PTSD.” 

“PTSD? B-but I’m not a soldier.” While it often felt like a war zone, his fights were always in a small dark apartment in Tokyo, not a battlefield with bullets zipping past his head. 

“While PTSD is common in the military they are not the only ones who can experience it. People experience PTSD when they have a difficult time coping with an extreme event that they witnessed.” Kageyama knew that he had anxiety but PTSD, that seemed like a stretch. Sure he had been through a lot, but he got out of it and made a better life for himself. People had told him he should talk to someone but between taking care of Rini and starting a business he had never had the time, and now he had been doing fine for so long he didn’t feel like he needed to. 

“I’ve worked with Dr. Semi in the past and his testimony could help our case.”

“Wait a minute. Isn’t this a medical malpractice law firm? Why are you taking this case? Do you have any experience in family law?” Shimizu looked over at Oikawa and seemed to ponder his words for a moment before she spoke.

“Yes, this is a medical malpractice firm but I worked in family law for a decade before I came here. That is where I met Wakatoshi, he was a social worker and he and I worked together through several….tough cases. Family law and social work...it takes a toll on you. You see the ugliest parts of society. There are many cases that still keep me up at night...cases where no matter how hard I fought I couldn’t win. It didn’t matter how many I won because I knew the horrors behind the ones I lost. 

I...I had one case where a little girl's grandparents were trying to get custody after her mother died but the father was fighting them for it. He was a horrible man, a drunk with a temper, but the mother had never come forward before she died and the little girl was too frightened to testify. The father won custody and then….” She paused and looked over at a picture on her bookcase. It was a photo of a little girl with bright curly red hair. She had her face painted like a butterfly and a wide gap toothed smile spread from ear to ear. 

“They both died in a drunk driving accident 2 weeks later. Wakatoshi was the social worker in charge of the case and we were going to refile...but we were too late. That case broke both of us. He went into teaching and I went into medical malpractice.” Grey eyes flickered to look back at Kageyama and Oikawa. There were no tears or sorrow in them, instead they were filled with determination and cold rage smoldered under the surface. 

“Rini’s mother sounds a lot like Sakura’s father….I lost that time but I will not lose again.” 

~~~

Shimizu’s words echoed through Kageyama’s head the rest of the night. After Rini had gone to bed he sat on the couch holding the business card she had given him in his hands. Oikawa had told him to call and set up an appointment, telling him that he only had to go once and then if he hated it then he never had to go back. Shimizu said that having an expert’s diagnosis would help them in court since Kageyama had never filed a police report. 

Right now Kageyama felt like he was in limbo. He knew that something was broken inside his head, now that Umi had come back that was even more apparent, but he felt like if he named it then it became real. Right now he could do his best to ignore it but once he talked to someone about it they would write a long list of the many parts of Kageyama that were broken and hand him a never ending list of little white pills to swallow in hopes that they would fix him. Once his fears had a name Kageyama couldn’t claim that they didn’t exist. 

The raven haired man pulled out his phone and pressed the call button on a familiar name. It rang twice before the other end of the call clicked to life.

“Hey, Kageyama.” The sound of Hinata’s voice almost immediately made Kageyama relax into his couch cushions. Sometimes their late night phone calls felt like the only thing Kageyama had left for himself, everything else was focused on Rini or Umi but these hushed moments in the darkness were all his.

“Hey...I met with that lawyer today. She’s going to help us...she wants me to go see a psychiatrist...she said that his diagnosis of m-my anxiety and how Umi’s abuse affected me can help us win the case.” Hinata could hear the wariness in Kageyama’s voice.

“Are you scared to talk to a professional?” 

“Yes.” The word left his mouth immediately. Everytime Kageyama had to talk to someone about his past he was scared, it didn’t matter who it was. “It’s just...right now I can pretend it's nothing but...but once some shrink writes it all down in a file then it’s real. And then I feel like that proves that I’m...I-I’m broken or weak. That everything she said is true.” Umi had repeated those words to him endlessly while they had been together. Her words were like hot irons that branded the label pathetic right on his forehead for the world to see. Going to the doctor would just prove that she had been right all along.

“Hey hey listen to me Kageyama. You are not broken. You are not weak. Having feelings and trauma doesn’t make you lesser, it makes you human. She said those things because she wanted to control you. And I think talking to someone would help you a lot...I want you to know that I am always here to listen to you and help you but I don’t understand how to help you cope. The psychiatrist’s job is to help you understand how you feel and then help you find healthy ways to handle your stress and anxiety. He isn’t there to prove that you’re hurting, his job is to help you heal.” 

Kageyama didn’t think that he would ever be able to heal. His fears and anxieties ran so deep that they were embedded in his soul now. He didn’t know if it was possible for him to exist without them. No doctor, no matter how skilled, could make him whole again. 

“And Kageyama you say that right now you can ignore them but that’s not true. I saw you after Umi came to the school. Just because it’s not officially diagnosed doesn’t mean it’s not there. Your brain and mind are just like any other part of your body, they get hurt sometimes. You don’t say your body is weak when you get a cold and then pretend you don’t have one. No, you get medicine and take care of it because colds happen and that's that. And then after you’re better you eat healthy and take vitamins to keep your body strong. 

What you’re dealing with isn’t as straightforward as a cold but it’s the same train of thought. You have to take care of your mental health the same way you do your physical health. And I’m not saying it's going to be a quick fix. There isn’t some magic pill that will make it all go away and talking to someone a few times isn’t going to heal you overnight, but in the long run you will get better. And you’ve got friends who care about you but we can’t make you do anything, you have to want to get better for any of it to work.”

Kageyama quietly listened to Hinata’s words. Their conversations were typically filled with Hinata’s childish never ending stream of thoughts about anything and everything, but tonight the redhead had taken a very serious tone. Kageyama knew that if they were together Hinata’s eyebrows would be furrowed with determination and his steadfast gaze would be locked on him. Tomorrow Kageyama would call, if not for himself then for the people he cared about. He wanted to get better for them. 

“I didn’t know you could sound so smart.” This earned him a squawk.

“I just gave you a very serious 10 minute lecture about your mental health and that's what you say? Bakageyama were you even listening to me?!”

“Yes, I was listening calm down dumbass...I’ll call and make an appointment tomorrow. Thank you.” He could almost feel the warmth of Hinata’s smile over the phone. Kageyama wished he was there to enjoy it in person. 

“Good I’m glad. You know I’m always here for you Kageyama.” Warmth bloomed in Kageyama’s chest. Umi coming had thrown a wrench into their plans of pursuing a relationship but he was still extremely fond of Hinata, and remembering his past relationship increased his fondness tenfold. Everything about Hinata was so intoxicatingly warm and even though he was frightened Kageyama still wanted more. 

“H-hey I know it’s kind of last minute but Rini’s birthday is this weekend...you should come. The whole staff will be there along with some of Rini’s friends from school. You don’t have to get her anything, she’ll just be excited that you’re there.” There was a long pause. Had he gone too far? They wanted to keep things quiet because Rini was Hinata’s student but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends right? Daichi was bringing Suga, if anything Hinata could claim he was just there with his friend. 

“Are you sure? With everything that is going on I don’t want to add anymore stress. I’m fine with taking things as slow as you need Kageyama.”

“I-I want you to come. We haven’t been able to hang out in a while and…I miss you...Umi has already taken so much from me and I don’t want her to take this too.” The confession was heavy with emotion and Kageyama partially regretted the words as they left his lips, but it was too late now. He just wanted to let Hinata know how much he mattered, how much this mattered to Kageyama. 

“I miss you too Kageyama. I would love to come. Thank you for inviting me.” For the rest of the evening Kageyama listened to Hinata talk about his class and the new garden Ushijima was building at the school. With his whole world in chaos right now it was nice to have these moments of peace.

~~~

Saturday morning Kageyama set his alarm for an absurdly early hour. When it chimed the sun was just beginning to rise and fiery streaks of orange painted his white comforter. He wasted no time getting up and getting himself ready, he was running against the clock and he had no idea how much time he had. After a quick shower he was in the kitchen making strawberry pancakes topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar. 

He had gotten about a 20 minute head start before he heard the sounds of a door opening and the pitter patter of bare feet on the hardwoods. Rini stepped into the kitchen with a wild nest of bedhead and a bright smile on her face. Kageyama whipped around and wasted no time scooping his daughter up into his arms and spinning her around the room.

“Happy birthday Bunny!” The little girl squealed with glee as she was twirled around the kitchen. Kageyama sat her down on the counter while he continued to flip the light pink pancakes. She opened her mouth expectantly and the father picked up the can of whipped cream and sprayed a swirl of the sweet cream into her mouth, doing the same to himself seconds later. They both giggled with chubby cheeks. 

“Are you excited for your party today Bunny?” The little girl nodded her head enthusiastically and Kageyama listened to her talk about all the games they were going to play and what she hoped her presents would be (2 of the things she listed were under his bed and Oikawa had another stashed in his closet at his apartment). Just as they sat down at the table with plates piled high with sugary goodness, Oikawa marched through the front door. 

“Good morning!” He gave Rini a kiss on the top of the head and sat down at the table next to Kageyama. He propped his chin up on his elbow and looked at Rini with mischievous eyes.

“Bunny-chan you look so different this morning. Did you get a new haircut?” The little girl burst into a fit of giggles.

“No!”

“Really? Did you get new pajamas?” Rini shook her head no. “Hmmm...Oh I know! You got new freckles on your nose. That has to be it!” A long slender finger reached out and booped the little button nose in question. 

“No no no! I’m 6 today Uncle Tooru! That’s what's different, silly!” Oikawa let out a dramatic gasp.

“My Bunny-chan is 6?!” He placed a hand on his forehead and threw his head back. “Next you’re going to tell me you’re getting a car or that you’ve got a boyfriend!” Kageyama wrinkled his nose. 

“No boyfriends ever.” Rini had busied herself with cramming as much pancake as possible into her mouth and could only muster a muffled giggle in response. Oikawa stood up and placed several more quick kisses to Rini’s head. 

“Happy Birthday Bunny-chan. I can’t believe you’re already 6. Where has the time gone?” The playful lilt had left his voice and was replaced with a wistful sorrow. The men exchanged a tender look across the table. These past 6 years had flown by and they knew they were only going to get faster. The knowledge that Rini would one day be a grown woman was always looming in the distance but for now they would relish in the fact that she was still a sweet little girl. 

They spent the morning trying on every dress in Rini’s closet until the little girl deemed one perfect for her party. It was pastel pink with a tulle skirt that was the colors of cotton candy. Kageyama pinned part of her hair up with bright sparkling gold barrettes that he knew were going to inevitably get lost in the grass later and he was going to spend hours looking for them. Before having a daughter, Kageyama had never even touched glitter and now he found traces of it on  _ everything he owned _ . 

Rini danced around the room, enamored in the way her dress looked when she twirled around.

“Daddy can I be a ballerina?” 

“You can be whatever you want to be Bunny.”

“I want to learn how to dance and jump and spin around on stage.” The little girl did her best to demonstrate with tiny jumps as she danced around the room. Kageyama didn’t know anything about ballet or dancing in general but he knew there was a dance studio in town.

“Well how about I look into getting you some ballet lessons then.” Blue eyes lit up like stars and Rini dashed over and grappled Kageyama in a tight hug. 

“Thank thank thank you Daddy!”

After Rini was dressed they went into the main building where she ran around and collected her happy birthdays from the staff. The party didn’t officially start until noon so for most of the morning Rini was in the kitchen watching Tsukishima decorate her cake with a sharp eye. With the help of Iwaizumi and Oikawa, Kageyama set up the table and chairs in the backyard. One table was adorned with brightly wrapped presents all labeled with some variation of the girl’s name or nickname. Coolers were filled with pop and juice pouches, balloons were filled and tied to tables, and multicolored streamers were strewn about. 

Just as it was about to turn noon the sounds of police sirens drew everyone’s attention to the front of the building. The black and white sedan pulled into the parking lot with red and blue lights flashing. Kuroo sat behind the wheel with a cocky grin, he honked the horn and smiled and waved at the crowd. Kenma sunk lower into the passenger seat looking like he would rather spontaneously combust than be in the car with his boyfriend. Their daughter was sitting in the backseat and was slightly obscured by the bars that were meant to keep criminals at bay. 

Kuroo stepped out of the car dressed in his police uniform (minus his service weapon. In his holster was a bright yellow and green water gun instead). 

“I’m going to have to ask everyone to step back. We apprehended a crazy party animal on our way here and she is  _ very very _ dangerous.” He opened the backdoor where Ran was sitting. The little girl had already undone the buckles of her carseat and easily slipped between her father’s long legs and ran to where Rini was standing.

“Oh no she escaped! Run everyone run for your lives!” Hand in hand the little girls sprinted past Kageyama and towards the backyard, only the sound of their bright laughter was left in their wake. Kuroo leaned against the police car with a fond smile as he watched them go. Kenma slinked out of the car and took his place next to Kuroo.

“You’re so embarrassing.” The shorter man mumbled under his breath. Kuroo chuckled good naturedly and slung an arm around Kenma, planting a soft kiss to his forehead. 

“Ah you love that about me. Plus the girls got a kick out of it. Now let's get this party started!” The police officer went back to his car and pulled out a box wrapped in paper covered in kittens drawn to look like sushi. 

“Thank you guys for coming. The party is in the backyard. Pizza is on its way. Help yourselves to the drinks in the coolers.” As Kuroo and Kenma walked into the building a grey sedan pulled into the parking lot. Bokuto stepped out from the passenger side with 2 sparkly blue wrapped presents in his arms. 

“Hey, hey, hey! It’s an awesome day for a party!” Akaashi busied himself with getting the boys out of the car, the twins were practically vibrating with excitement. As soon as they were freed they ran up to where Kageyama was standing.

“Where is Rini-san?! We made her a birthday card!” Hayato was clutching a bright pink envelope in his hands, Rini’s name was shakily written in kanji with crayon on the front. 

“She is in the back with Ran.” As soon as the words left his lips both of the boys were sprinting past him to the backyard. Akaashi and Bokuto walked to the front door much more calmly (Well Akaashi did. Bokuto was barely containing himself, golden eyes filled with the same childlike glee as his sons).

“Thank you for inviting the boys Kageyama-san. They have been anticipating this all week.”

“Thank you guys for coming. Party is set up in the back, Kuroo and Kenma are already back there. The pizza should be here soon and there are drinks in the coolers.” Blue eyes fell on the newest car to pull into the parking lot. “You guys can set the presents down on the table set up in the yard. I’ll be back there in a minute.” Akaashi turned to glance at the yellow Volkswagen now sitting adjacent to his car, dark blue eyes glanced back at Kageyama and the faintest shadow of a smile fell on his lips.

“Come on Bokuto-san.” Akaashi gently led his husband through the door while Kageyama walked down the front steps. Hinata stepped out of the car and gave Kageyama a soft smile that made his heart flutter. For a moment they just stood there staring at each other grinning like idiots. It had been nearly 2 weeks since their last movie night but it felt like an eternity had passed since then. 

“Hey.” Kageyama said breathlessly. A flush crawled across his cheeks and he cleared his throat to get his voice back to its normal tone. “Um thanks for coming.”

“I’m happy to be here. 6 is a very important birthday after all.” The teacher reached back into his car and pulled out a small package wrapped in sunshine yellow paper. Kageyama’s heart began to ache when he saw it. 

“Hey I told you that you didn’t have to get her anything.”

“I know but I couldn’t show up empty handed! It’s small and it was no trouble honestly.” Kageyama gave him a half hearted scowl and rolled his eyes. Hesitantly, he reached out and took Hinata’s free hand in his own, lacing their fingers and giving a soft squeeze. Hinata looked down at their hands and then up at Kageyama and beamed. Kageyama blamed the redness on his cheeks and nose on the intense brightness of the smile. 

“Come on everyone is in the back.” Kageyama led Hinata through the building and towards the din in the backyard. The children were running through the grass shrieking in delight as Noya and Tanaka ran after them. Everyone else was scattered around the yard chatting and laughing happily. Kageyama stopped and stared for a moment, overwhelmed with the rush of affection that washed over him. Hinata and Oikawa constantly told him that he had a large group of people who cared for him, but seeing them all gathered around smiling and laughing was…. deeply moving. Hinata squeezed his hand softly.

“Hey are you okay?” 

“Yea yea...I’m just happy.” They exchanged soft smiles and moved down to the grass where Hinata added his present to the pile of boxes and cards on the table. 

“Hinata-sensei!” Rini rushed up to them with flushed cheeks and bright blue eyes wide with excitement. Hinata let go of Kageyama’s hand and bent down so he was level with the little girl. 

“It’s my birthday! I’m 6 now!”

“I know that’s why I’m here. Your dad invited me to your party. I hope that’s okay with you.” Rini nodded her head.

“Yea! We’re gonna have cake later and ice cream! Tsukki makes the best cake ever!” If Hinata minded that the little girl was practically shouting every sentence, he didn’t show it.

“I can’t wait.” Rini’s attention was quickly drawn back to her friends and she bolted off leaving the men alone again. They gravitated their way over to where the other parents were sitting. Kuroo waggled his eyebrows at Kageyama who scowled in response. 

“Aren’t you dying in your uniform Kuroo?” The full intensity of the July sun was beating down on them now and the stagnant air was thick with humidity. Just looking at Kuroo’s dark blue jacket and pants was making Kageyama sweat. 

“Not gonna lie I’m sweating my ass off.” He received a light swat from Kenma at the swear word. “Sorry my butt off but I have a change of clothes in the car. I’ll probably go change after we eat. I don’t get to wear this thing often, now that I’m a detective, but it has its perks.” With a sly grin he looked down at Kenma and winked. The smaller man’s face turned crimson and he muttered something about needing a drink and scurried away.

“But he already has a full drink right here.” Akaashi sighed softly and patted his husband on the hand lovingly. Kuroo let out a dark laugh and happily took a sip of his own drink. Poor Kenma.

While they waited on the pizza Kageyama took the opportunity to wander around with Hinata and introduce him to some of the staff. He made sure to warn the teacher about the more rambunctious staff members (i.e. Noya and Tanaka), but thankfully everyone was cordial and polite. Hinata had met Daichi several times beforehand now that he was dating Suga and the 3 of them stood talking about the enigma that was Suga’s hair color while they waited for the man to arrive. 

“He’s only 27. There is no reason his hair should be grey!”

“I didn’t believe it until he took me to dinner at his parent’s house for the first time and they showed me baby pictures. It’s always been that color.” Kageyama really couldn’t care less about Suga’s hair color but enjoyed listening to Hinata’s excited chatter. Blue eyes lazily watched his daughter chase one of the twins through the yard. Even from a distance he could tell one of the barrettes was already gone. Wonderful. 

“Suga you’re here!” Kageyama turned to see the receptionist walk from the porch to the grass towards them. Daichi’s face spread out into a warm smile and he opened his arms to embrace the other man but Suga bypassed him entirely and went straight to Kageyama. There was almost a manic expression on his face. 

“Kageyama, she's here. Out front right now.” Kageyama blinked at Sugawara trying to comprehend his words. The noise of the party faded away and the entire world seemed to center itself around Sugawara’s concerned face. Here. She’s here. Now. 

Hinata grabbed Kageyama’s arm and shook him lightly.

“Kageyama you should go confront her. Before she can get to Rini.” Kageyama took a deep breath through his nose and shut his eyes. Why today? Why now?

“Yea okay...okay.” The raven haired man looked out at the party searching for a flouncy mop of brown hair. Oikawa was perched on the edge of one of the tables talking to Iwaizumi.

“Oikawa!” The brunette turned around and looked at him.

“We’re needed up front….the wicked witch dropped in.” Kageyama’s words flipped a switch and the relaxed atmosphere was quickly replaced with palpable tension, even the other parents noticed and sent Kageyama questioning looks. The children were blissfully unaware (thankfully) and continued to giggle merrily as they played make believe. 

Oikawa was up in an instant and crossed the yard in a few long strides. Kageyama turned around to face Daichi and Sugawara.

“Do. Not. Let. Her. Out. Of. Your. Sight.” Kageyama followed Oikawa up the stairs of the porch and with every step he felt his stomach twist in on itself tighter. Quickly, they walked up to the front of the building where they saw her standing at the reception desk. She was leaning against the desk playing idly with the flowers sitting in a vase next to her. A saccharine smile spread across her face when she saw them. 

“Hello Tobio.” She purred. The sound made Kageyama’s skin crawl.

“This is private property. You have 10 seconds to leave before we call the police.” An annoyed expression washed across her face and she scowled at Oikawa. 

“It's always a pleasure to see you too Tooru. I mean no harm. It's my sweet angel’s birthday and I just wanted to give her a kiss from Mommy.” Kageyama wanted to scream at her that she had no right to call herself that name. She was a stranger to Rini and nothing more. 

“I wish I could say the same but everytime I see you I get stomach cramps. You have 5 seconds now.” Oikawa’s voice was cold and resolute. If looks could kill then they would both soon drop dead from the glares they were exchanging. 

“Is everything alright Oikawa?” Iwaizumi had joined them and stood on the other side of Oikawa, crossing his arms over his broad chest and giving Umi a bitter stare. The addition of Iwaizumi created a sudo wall blocking the hallway that led to the backyard where the sound of the children could still be heard. The aura radiating off the men could only be described as intense, but the woman just gave them a smile devoid of any warmth, clearly unphased. 

“Everything is alright Iwa-chan. Just taking care of a little garbage that blew in.” He spoke in a sing-song tone but the distaste in his voice was blatant. Umi’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

“Wow Tobio you sure let a lot of strange men work here. Are they all fags or is it just Tooru? I don’t know if our daughter should be raised in this kind of environment. She would do much better in a more traditional family where she knows what love is  _ supposed _ to look like.” All 3 men tensed at the slur, and Umi’s smile grew more wicked when she realized she had earned a reaction from them. 

“Do you want to show her how much you loved me when you beat me unconscious at Oikawa’s party? Or we can tell her about how much you loved her on the day you abandoned her as an infant and left her alone in our apartment for 10 hours. How about the night you came home for the first time in 4 months and threatened to lie to the cops that I raped you if we left. Cause those are all good examples of your love.” The words tumbled out of him before he could stop them. His hands trembled with rage as he spat the words out at her. Umi seemed to just absorb the poison, she was already so rotten that it had no affect.

“You were nothing but a stupid child when we first met. I was the one who made you a man!”

“By beating me! Threatening me! You held me prisoner for 2 years!” Kageyama’s voice was trembling, over 7 years of rage was bubbling out of him and nothing could stop it now. He had dreamed about this moment for the better part of a decade. 

“And it looks like none of it worked. You’re still just as pathetic as the day I first met you. Some miserable idiot who can’t do anything without crying. I’m going to take Rini away from you next month and you will  _ never _ see her again.” There was almost a rabid expression on Umi’s face. A wide smile spread across her face as she spoke about taking Rini away. She liked hurting him, it was fun for her, she found it exciting. Kageyama opened his mouth to scream at her but a heavy hand on his shoulder stopped him. 

Kuroo now stood next to him, his large stature and uniform giving him an intimidating presence. All of the warm mischief that Kageyama had grown to know him for was gone.

“Ma’am I am going to have to ask you to vacate the property. This is a private event.” His tone was neutral but it was clear that his words were absolute. The badge on his chest glittered in the beam of sunlight that streamed in from the window. 

All hints of rage and bitterness vanished from Umi’s face, replaced with a saccharine smile that was a little too wide. 

“Of course officer. I assure you I meant no trouble. Have a wonderful day.” She cast Kageyama and Oikawa a resentful look and then walked out the front doors. It was like her presence had tainted the air and even though she was gone her poison still burned Kageyama’s lungs. 

“Man she’s a bitch.” Kageyama didn’t know if it was just because he was emotionally unstable after the encounter or if it was Kuroo’s blunt tone, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the statement. The other men looked bewildered as Kageyama hunched over, tears streaming down his face. It took him several minutes to calm down from his hysteria and regain his composure. 

“She is the world’s biggest bitch.” 

“Yea and I got it all on video.” All heads snapped to look at Kuroo who looked like the cat that caught the canary. He tapped on the black cylinder sitting over his right shoulder. A camera. 

“The head honchos over at headquarters started making it mandatory to wear body cams so there are no more he said she said situations. You can’t lie about it if it's all on camera.” Kageyama thought his heart was going to stop in his chest. Umi had basically confessed that she had abused him and they had it all on camera. For the first time since this all began he felt like they actually stood a chance at beating her. 

“Thank you Kuroo...we might actually win now thanks to you.” 

“No problem. I told you us dads have to stick together. I will always be there for my friends when they need me.” Kageyama sunk into one of the chairs behind the reception desk and held his head in his hands. For weeks it felt like there was a heavy cloud of impending doom hanging over him, and no matter what situation he conjured up he didn’t see how he could win against Umi. But now with Kuroo’s camera footage they could do it, they could beat her. The intense feeling of relief made his head spin.

“Tobio are you alright?” Oikawa knelt down in front of him and placed both of his hands on Kageyama’s knees. 

“Yea I’m just….relieved, overwhelmed, tired. You guys go back to the party, I just need a minute to breathe.” The other 3 men returned to the backyard and left Kageyama to sit with his thoughts in the quiet lobby. Even after he had left Kageyama could still feel Umi’s cold grip on him. The woman’s actions affected every thought in his head, every action he took, and every decision he made. But today he felt her icy cold clutch on him crack and he knew that one day he would be able to wriggle free from it. It was weird...he felt almost...invincible. The only thing he had ever truly feared was her and now that he had proven he could stand up to her there was nothing that could touch him.

“Kageyama?” Blue eyes looked up from the carpet to see Hinata’s apprehensive expression. He was being cautious, trying to read Kageyama and see how he should react. After his last encounter with Umi, Kageyama had an anxiety attack so bad he blacked out, but now he was calm and seemingly unaffected by the woman’s presence. 

“She basically confessed to the abuse and Kuroo got it all on camera.” Kageyama stood and grabbed Hinata’s shoulders, a smile spread across his face. “We can beat her. We can beat her.” It took Hinata a few moments to process his words but when he did milk chocolate eyes widened in disbelief. 

“She isn’t going to take Rini. I’m going to win this custody case and then I’m getting a restraining order and she will never be able to come back into our lives. I’m finally going to be free.” Kageyama had never felt so light, so weightless. He wanted to run a marathon, climb a mountain, scream from the rooftops. Everything that seemed like a hopeless distant dream was now tangible and Kageyama felt like he was flying. 

Without thinking Kageyama moved his hands up from Hinata’s shoulders to cup his cheeks and he pulled the man into a kiss. He felt like he was drunk with the way his head was spinning and all Kageyama could do was focus on the lips moving feverishly against his. Every nerve in his body was buzzing with energy and Kageyama poured it all into the kiss, it felt like if he stopped moving his body would combust. 

“Daddy why are you kissing Hinata-sensei?” And suddenly it felt like a frigid bucket of cold water was poured over him and he quickly plummeted back down to earth. Hinata practically leaped away from him at the sound of Rini’s voice and 2 sets of frantic eyes looked down at the little girl who was staring at them with a curious expression. Shit.

“Um…” Neither of them could think of anything to say. 

“Do you like Hinata-sensei the same way Uncle Tooru likes Iwa-chan? I see them kiss sometimes.” Kageyama’s brain had stalled and he couldn’t come up with a single response for his daughter. They had barely flushed out their relationship and were nowhere near the stage of telling Rini about it, but they had been caught red handed by the little girl and were now in a very precarious position. Hinata stepped forward and knelt down in front of Rini so he was eye level with the little girl. 

“Rini I do like your dad in that way. Is that alright with you?” Azure eyes looked at Hinata and then up to Kageyama and then back to Hinata. 

“Only if you promise to love Daddy forever. You can’t hurt his feelings.” She crossed her arms and attempted to scrunch her face into a glare that was more adorable than it was frightening. Hinata smiled and raised his hand, extending a pinky. 

“I promise I won’t hurt his feelings.” One of Rini’s pudgy pinkies locked with Hinata’s, sealing the sacred pact. Satisfied, Rini smiled up at them. 

“Okay! Come on the pizza is here and then we are going to open presents!” Unfazed by recent events she skipped back down the hall to the backyard to rejoin the party, leaving Hinata and Kageyama alone once again. 

“I am so sorry. I’ll talk to her tonight about keeping it a secret.” Hinata just shrugged.

“I’m not concerned with it really. Ushijima knows my sexuality and if any parents have a problem with it then they can take it up with him. It's kindergarten so it's not like I can really favor her since there are no grades involved. The other kids might be a little jealous at first but I am extremely professional so it won’t be a problem. I knew you wanted to take things slow so that's why I didn’t mind keeping it a secret. ” 

“Well with the pinky promise thing you don’t have to….I mean we barely started….She doesn’t understand…” Hinata rolled his eyes and pulled at Kageyama’s shirt to lower him into a gentle kiss, effectively silencing him. 

“A pinky promise is a sacred bond that cannot be broken. I told you before that I’m in this for the long haul. No relationship is perfect but I want to make this work. I know you’ve got a lot of healing to do but as long as you want me I’ll be here with you every step of the way.” None of the words were new but Kageyama felt like he was actually hearing them for the first time. 

The words sunk into his skin and warmed him from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. It seemed like just yesterday the idea of anything happening between them was a distant dream, and now here he was holding the other man in his arms. It felt like the first day of spring sun was melting away the frost that had grown over his heart, awakening something inside of him and giving it the strength it needed to blossom. Kageyama leaned down and captured Hinata’s lips again with his own. Spring had always been his favorite season. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay chapter 9 is done! Guys I cant believe how long this fic is and how much support it has gotten! It is so overwhelming the amount of support I have received and I can't wait to finish this story for you all. I think I'm going to write 2-3 more chapters and definitely an epilogue! We are finally reaching the final stretch people!!!! (AHHHHH)


	10. Making Goals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama starts making goals for his future with the help of those around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a shorter chapter and Im sorry about that. I had a really hard time writing this one. I didn't want to automatically go to the custody trial but I didn't have any idea what I wanted to write about, so this chapter might just be a pile of garbage. I wanted to show that Kageyama is benefiting from therapy (the way he calms himself down from his panic attack is the way that I do it when I have mine) but I didn't want to go in depth about the appointment himself. He had already told his story and I am not a therapist/psychiatrist and I didn't want to even attempt writing what one might say. Mental health is a very personal thing and I have never experienced the trauma I am writing about so I have no idea what would even go on during one of those appointments and it didn't feel right trying to guess or make something up.
> 
> I also wanted to show some KuroKen and BokuAka because I adore them and I think they're super cute. I was tossing around the idea of continuing this world after this story is finished and writing little one shots about KuroKen, BokuAka, DaiSuga, and IwaOi so tell me if that is something you guys would be interested in!
> 
> Lastly, this weekend my 5 1/2 year long relationship ended and it has really sucked a lot of inspiration from me. The next few chapters might be a little slower because I dont want to compromise how I write in order to get chapters out. I know we are all excited for our happy ending but I just ask for a little patience, hopefully I'll bounce back soon. 
> 
> As always please enjoy this chapter and thank you for taking the time to read <3

Even though they had the video of Umi, Kageyama still went to his appointment with Dr. Semi. He wasn’t going just for the court case, he wanted to have control over his life again. So far he had seen Dr. Semi twice and each time he left the quiet office he felt like he had been hit by a truck. 

Dr. Semi was a nice man, once you looked past his hard demeanor you could see his determination to help, but he was a relentless force that wasn’t there to hold Kageyama’s hand and he had made that clear from the start. The first meeting was just a grueling hour and a half of Kageyama going into extreme detail about everything that Umi had done to him. Dr. Semi was not shy about asking questions, he wanted to know everything. They talked about Kageyama’s nightmares and panic attacks and when their meeting was over Kageyama had to sit in his car for an hour until his hands stopped shaking enough to let him drive. 

This meeting had been somewhat better. Kageyama was still reduced to a blubbering mess within the first 10 minutes but they went over different ways that he could gain control during the moments he felt like he was falling apart. They put together strategies that Kageyama could use to try and ground himself so that he wouldn’t teeter over the edge. For the first time he felt like he was actually able to fight back against all of the darkness and self doubt in his head. 

He still left the meeting emotionally drained but there was a speck of hope that burned like a warm ember in his chest. His problems were far from fixed but it was a step in the right direction. Dr. Semi told him to put together a list of goals, short term and long term, and how he could measure his success towards each one. Kageyama lacked confidence and feared losing control, by making benchmarks of success he could see that he was progressing and that would give him both confidence and control. 

Dr. Semi had told him that no goal was too big or too small, that anything that helped him cope could be marked as a success. It was easy for him to think of goals that surrounded other people’s success. He wanted to watch Rini graduate, to walk her down the aisle, he wanted to see Oikawa find love, he wanted their business to thrive, but it was difficult when the spotlight was on himself. 

Short term goals were easier. He wanted to be able to sleep regularly again. He wanted to get back in shape because keeping up with a 6 year old was no joke. But long term goals made his stomach twist with anxiety. Immediately, he thought about Hinata and their relationship. He thought about a lifetime of sunshine kissing his skin, warming his cold frost bitten heart. Dreams about the warmth of spring turned into thoughts about the heat of summer and Kageyama’s mouth went dry when he thought about the sticky heat, sweat rolling down his back, the intense burning of the sun lighting his skin on fire as it devoured him. He wrote it down under the long term goal list, crossed it out, and then wrote it down again. 

When he got back to the Crow’s Nest, Kageyama found Oikawa sitting at the front desk tapping away at his phone. The front lobby was quiet...too quiet.

“Where is Rini?” Oikawa didn’t bother looking up from his phone, instead he just waved a hand towards the closed door of Kageyama’s office.

“She’s napping. I told her that if she took her nap without a fuss then you’d take her to the park. She’s wanted to go since you left but I’ve been swamped all morning.” In front of him was a detailed calendar and schedule of all their reservations for each room and the restaurant. All of the different colors, symbols, and short hand made no sense to Kageyama but Oikawa’s expert eyes had no trouble decoding it. The brunette’s attention to detail was unearthly but it was one of the driving forces behind their success. 

“You should invite Chibi-chan to go with you guys. Bunny would love that.” Ever since she had seen them kissing, Rini had been insistent with her questions and begging that the teacher come over. While Kageyama was happy that Rini was supportive of their relationship, his worst fear was that his daughter would think he was picking someone over her, he wished his daughter wasn’t so….enthusiastic. He knew it was just because their relationship was new and exciting and once the novelty wore off she would lose interest, but she asked him at least once a day if Hinata could come over for dinner or to watch a movie. 

Thankfully, she had been mostly quiet about it at school so it hadn’t caused Hinata any trouble with the other parents or Ushijima. Kageyama wanted to give her a happy family with 2 parents, he remembered her conversation with Bokuto and how she wanted someone to love him forever, but he just wasn’t ready and thankfully Hinata was understanding of that. 

They hadn’t had the time to see each other since Rini’s birthday party, only managing to talk on the phone after Rini had gone to sleep. Today was a beautiful day, the sun was out but a slight breeze broke through the stagnant humidity, perfect for a trip to the park. After his appointments with Dr. Semi, Kageyama always felt raw and on edge, after vividly remembering his past it was difficult to remember that that wasn’t his life anymore. The last thing he wanted was to show Hinata that weakness, but maybe a trip to the park together wouldn’t be so bad.

Kageyama pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Hinata inviting him to the park. A few seconds later his phone buzzed with a reply full of entirely too many exclamation points and emojis. Kageyama felt a pang of guilt in his chest, was Hinata unhappy with how little time they had been able to spend together? 

Kageyama always found himself doubting himself when it came to this new relationship. It was similar to the feelings he had when Rini had first been born. Here was this delicate and precious thing in his arms that relied on him not fucking up to survive, and he constantly worried about if he was succeeding. The fear he felt then and now was paralyzing, enough to keep him tossing and turning through the entire night while he thought of every way he could fail. 

He felt bile burn the back of his throat and tried to take a deep breath to calm his unsteady heart. Ice cold dread dripped down his spine and pooled in his gut when he thought about Hinata getting fed up with him and leaving. He remembered all of the times Umi had screamed at him for being too busy, about how he was neglecting her and she felt unloved. He didn’t want to make Hinata feel the same way. 

Kageyama did his best to distract himself with small tasks that needed to be done around the bed and breakfast while Rini finished her nap. He had hoped that they would distract him from the anxiety burning in his chest but if anything the boring work just allowed him to focus on it more. He halfheartedly worked for another 30 minutes before his office door creaked open and a sleepy eyed Rini stumbled out.

When she saw Kageyama a lazy grin spread across her face and she ran to him, reaching her arms up and making grabby hands so that he would pick her up. Once in his arms she snuggled contently into his chest and Kageyama let himself focus on the soothing presence of her warmth. Rini never failed to make all of his anxieties drain away whenever she snuggled him like this. 

“Daddy, Uncle Tooru said that you’d take me to the park when you got back.” She mumbled the words into his neck, her voice was still droopy with sleep.

“After you eat some lunch I’ll take you to the park. And guess who is going to come with us?” She lifted her head up and looked at him with bright blue eyes, all traces of sleep washed away at the mention of a surprise. 

“Hinata is going to come to the park with us.” The little girl squealed with glee and clapped her hands excitedly. Kageyama carried her back to their house and Rini sat at the table and told him all about the fun games she was going to show Hinata while he listened from the kitchen and made her lunch. 

While he warmed up their lunches his anxiety started to crawl its way back to the forefront of his thoughts. He had texted Hinata that Rini had woken up and the teacher said he would meet them at the house and walk to the park with them. It was just a simple walk to the park, there wasn’t any way he could mess it up, but his brain kept telling him that he would somehow find a way. No matter how simple the task, Kageyama was sure he could find a way to ruin it.

Rini was half way through her lunch when there was a knock at the door. The little girl’s face lit up with excitement and she proceeded to try and shovel the rest of her food into her mouth so they could leave for the park as soon as possible. 

“Don’t eat too fast Bunny. You’ll have plenty of time to play at the park.” Kageyama opened the door and blue eyes landed on the bright sunny smile on Hinata’s face. The knot of anxiety in his chest relaxed a little bit at the other man’s cheerful expression, he didn’t seem like he was upset with Kageyama. The pair walked back into the dining room where Rini proudly held up her empty plate and empty glass of milk. 

“Can we go now?!” 

The walk to the park was a short one and by the amount of noise coming from the playground, it was clear that they weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the nice weather. Rini quickly scampered away and ran to join the other children clambering around on the jungle gym. Kageyama was grateful for his daughter’s love of bright colors, her neon ensemble made it easy to pick her out of the crowd. Most of the parents stood off to the side while their children played, some forming small groups while others were busy on their phones alone. 

Kageyama and Hinata found an unoccupied bench that still gave them a clear view of Rini and sat down. The silence between them wasn’t slifling but Kageyama still felt his skin sticky with sweat. He felt tense and on edge, like a deer that was alone in the night, ready to jump at the first snap of a twig. If Hinata noticed his behavior he didn’t say so, instead he tilted his head back against the bench and closed his eyes, soaking in the warm summer sun. 

“I’m going to go get a drink from the vending machine. Do you want anything?” Kageyama jumped at Hinata’s voice, the break in their silence was jarring. Hinata’s brow furrowed and he gave Kageyama a questioning look but didn’t say anything. 

“Um no thanks.” After Hinata had walked away Kageyama let his head fall forward into his hands. All he had wanted was to have a nice day at the park but he was ruining everything. He had never been this anxious around Hinata, even on their first date. His body refused to relax and he felt like a rubber band that was being pulled too tight and was on the verge of snapping. 

There was no way that Hinata didn’t notice his behavior, it was only a matter of time till the redhead got sick of dealing with his feebleness. Eventually, he was going to see how pathetic Kageyama was. Hinata wanted a boyfriend, not another child that he needed to watch over. It was only a matter of time before he got fed up with him, a pitiful excuse of a man, and left. Kageyama was simply too broken to be loved, he should have never allowed himself to think otherwise. 

The din from the playground started to fade away and even though the sun was out everything seemed dark. The air felt like it was too thick and moved like sludge in his lungs, instead of flowing through them it sat heavy in his chest. The only thing he could see was Hinata walking away from him, no matter how hard Kageyama cried the redhead never turned around, he kept moving until he disappeared. 

The feeling of hot tears rolling down his cheeks is what broke Kageyama’s trance. A tiny voice in the back of his mind repeated what Dr. Semi had told him that morning. He was in control, not his anxiety, and he could end the panic attack on his own. He did his best to bring the world around him back into focus. 

First, he tried to find 5 things he could see. He saw Rini climbing the ladder to the slide. He saw a mother pushing her baby in a swing. A teenage boy was playing frisbee with his dog. He looked down at his faded red sneakers against the grey sidewalk. The blue paint on the bench he was sitting on was starting to fade, bleached from years of sitting under the ruthless summer sun. 

Next, 4 things he could hear. The sound of children was the most prominent thing, yelling, laughing, and crying. He could hear the happy bark of the dog as it chased its frisbee. There was the chime of a bike bell behind him. A few benches down he could hear a man making reservations for dinner. 

Then, he focused on 3 things he could feel. The summer sun felt warm against the back of his neck and his forearms. The wooden bench was stiff and creaked unhappily under him. There was a hole in his sock where his big toe was. 

Now he tried to find 2 things he could smell. At first he could only smell the clean and earthy scent that could only be described as outside, but after a few moments he was able to pick up the sweet scent of pastries. On the other side of the playground there was a crepe cart parked, handing out delicious snacks to its long line of customers. 

Finally, he focused on something he could taste. He felt his tongue move against his lips, picking up the traces of his mint chapstick. 

After he had gone through his checklist, Kageyama found his heart beating at a normal pace in his chest and his lungs had inflated to their normal size again. If he wasn’t so exhausted then he would have been jumping with joy, he had pulled himself out of a panic attack for the very first time. He hadn’t been able to stop it completely but he had stopped it all on his own. For the first time ever Kageyama felt like one day he might be able to beat his past. 

Hinata returned a few moments later and his eyes widened with concern when he saw Kageyama’s puffy red eyes. 

“Hey what happened? Did someone say something to you?” 

“No...I’m just not having a good day and I let my anxiety get the better of me. I pulled myself out of it though.” Hinata still looked at him worried.

“Did I do something? I can go back home if you’d rather spend the afternoon with Rini.” Hinata stood to leave but Kageyama reached out and clasped his fingers around his wrist, pulling him gently back onto the bench.

“No it wasn’t you. It's just a bad day and I just…” Kageyama couldn’t find the words to explain what he was feeling. He wanted to be left alone but at the same time he craved the warmth of Hinata’s hands. It felt like one touch would break him but he was already cracking under the weight of his emotions and the only thing that could save him was the help of someone else. 

“Hey you don’t have to explain it. Good days or bad days I’m here, just tell me what you need.” Kageyama looked into Hinata’s warm chocolate eyes that were filled with acceptance and kindness. He looked at the man sitting next to him and tried to think of what he had done to deserve him. No matter how hard Kageyama rocked the boat, Hinata stood steady and took it all in stride. Kageyama had given him a million reasons to run, no one would blame him, but he stayed steadfast at his side. 

Kageyama reached out and laced his fingers with Hinata’s, the weight of the smaller man’s hand felt soothing. Hinata flashed him a sunny smile, the one that Kageyama fell for on Rini’s first day of school and continued to fall harder for every day. 

They sat there hand in hand while Rini played with the other children on the playground. All of the tension he had felt earlier was gone, the reassuring feeling of Hinata’s hand in his kept him grounded in the present and not focused on the hazy fog that was the future. Hinata watched Rini play with a soft smile on his face, the wind made the tips of his hair sway, and the rays of the sun brought out the light brown freckles on the bridge of his nose. It was the most beautiful thing Kageyama had ever seen. 

There was a word sitting on the tip of Kageyama’s tongue, it was something he had never tasted before. It was sweet but it also burned, and he swallowed it back down quickly. Blue eyes turned away from Hinata and back onto the playground, but the idea had blossomed into something he couldn’t ignore. Mentally he added another bullet to his long term goal list. One day he would say it, but today he was content to keep it all for himself. 

~~~

The next Sunday they had a playdate scheduled the Crow’s Nest was packed with visitors so they opted to have it at Kuroo and Kenma’s apartment instead. Kageyama felt tense in the highrise building, he had never lived somewhere this nice before. 

The apartment was modern with high ceilings and walls made of windows. All of the architecture was sleek with crisp edges and minimal details, but it was in sharp juxtaposition to the contents of the apartment. Knick knacks and photos took up every inch of shelf and wallspace. Plush pillows and blankets covered the couch and armchairs, several cat towers dotted the room, and a vast collection of video games and consoles were neatly organized under the entertainment system. 

Kageyama sat on the couch next to Bokuto and Akaashi. Kuroo sat in one of the arm chairs with a large black cat on his lap. Kenma had pulled an oversized bean bag chair out of one of the back bedrooms and was currently burrowed under a blanket and playing a game on his phone. They could hear the children playing in Ran’s room, the little girl was showing them all her collection of Pusheen trinkets.

“You have a beautiful home Kuroo.” The man flashed Kageyama a wide toothy smile and proudly looked around the room. 

“Yea it's way nicer than the shoebox we were living in before. When Kenma became famous we were able to afford this fancy place.” 

“I’m not famous Kuro.” Kenma didn’t even bother to look up from his phone, fingers vigorously tapping away at the screen. 

“Babe there is fanfiction about you. You’re famous.” Kenma rolled his eyes and let out a disgusted groan.

“You wrote that fanfiction so it doesn’t count.” Kuroo gave an impish chuckle. They were such an odd pair and Kageyama had a difficult time understanding how they had ended up as a couple, much less raised a child together.

“How did you guys meet again?” Kuroo’s eyes lit up at the question and Kenma promptly stood and slid his phone into his pocket.

“I’m going to go check on the kids.”

“Aw come on babe! You don’t want to tell Kageyama about how you got stuck with me~?” Kenma gave him an exasperated glare as a response and then left the room. 

“It’s actually the story about how Kenma saved my life. Remember how I told you awhile back that Ran’s mom kind of just left after she was born? Well I was 21 with a shitty job at a dry cleaners, no savings, living in a dump of an apartment, and now I suddenly had a newborn to take care of. Kenma and I have been friends since we were little and even though he was in college at the time he offered to let us move in with him and he said he would help me raise her.

He had no obligation to help me. We were friends but it wasn’t like we were attached at the hip and he had no relation to Ran whatsoever, but he helped us anyway. He would watch her at night while I worked and then go to class during the day. He read every book on childcare. He kept track of all her milestones, made sure she was staying healthy and getting all the vitamins she needed, and he always knew what to do when she was sick." Kuroo's voice softened and he had to pause and clear his throat as it became thick with emotion. 

"It was because of him that I was able to go to the police academy and get a real job that my daughter could be proud of. He stepped up when I needed him the most and I fell hopelessly in love with him. There wasn’t some pivotal moment when our relationship changed from platonic to romantic, it just happened naturally. I couldn’t have done any of this without him and I wouldn’t ever want to. Kenma and Ran are my whole world.”

The starry look in Kuroo’s eyes and the softness of his voice as he spoke about their relationship made Kageyama’s chest warm. It was clear that Kuroo was infatuated with Kenma, and the other man wouldn’t have done all of that for Kuroo if he didn’t feel the same way. 

Their story reminded Kageyama of his relationship with Oikawa. At one point the 2 of them had briefly entertained the idea of dating but nothing came to fruition. Kageyama looked at Oikawa as an older brother and close friend and couldn’t shift that image to one of sexual nature. They both agreed that the relationship they already had was fulfilling enough for the both of them and that they didn’t need to change anything. Now Oikawa had Iwaizumi and Kageyama had Hinata.

Bokuto sniffled next to Kageyama, tears were running down his cheeks. 

“Bo you’ve heard that story a million times. Why do you cry every time?” 

“Because it's so romantic and you both are so good together.” Akaashi soothingly rubbed his partner’s arm. At some point Kenma had wandered back into the room and the smaller man wordlessly came up behind Kuroo and wrapped his arms around his neck. 

“You failed to mention that you worked 2 jobs on top of taking care of her during the day so I didn’t have to work and could focus on school. You also didn’t tell them about how you supported me when I decided to quit my job so I could try and stream full time, even though there was a slim chance I would be able to make any money off of it, much less make a living. You’ve done just as much for me as I’ve done for you.” Kuroo leaned back so he could catch Kenma’s lips with his own, the love between them was almost palpable.

“AH GUYS! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH!” Bokuto jumped up and threw himself into Kuroo’s lap, thankfully the cat foresaw the events that were about to transpire and jumped to the ground just in time to avoid getting squished. Bokuto smothered them both in an involuntary bear hug. Kuroo indulged him with a few pats on the back but Kenma wiggled his way out of his grasp and fled from the scene.

“Bo why don’t you tell him about how you and Akaashi met?” Kuroo mumbled against Bokuto’s chest. Akaashi let out a tired sigh from the couch, clearly he had been hoping to avoid this topic. Bokuto on the other hand spun around and stared at Kageyama with bright golden eyes, an almost manic expression of glee spread across his face. 

“You mean the best day of my life?!” Akaashi let out a weak Koutarou under his breath but his husband didn’t acknowledge it, instead he stood, his body practically vibrating with excitement. 

“So this was back when I had just gone pro. I moved into a new apartment closer to our gym and as I am moving in all my stuff a literal angel walks out of the apartment across the hall. Seriously, he was the most beautiful person I had ever seen and it was love at first sight.” Akaashi clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes at the statement, but there was a soft smile on his lips.

“I did everything I could think of to get him to fall in love with me. I got him flowers.”

“He gave me a bouquet of orange lilies which mean ‘hatred’ or ‘disdain’ in the language of flowers.”

“Who even decided that? Some old guy 100 years ago? Thats a stupid meaning. Anyway back to my story. I baked him a cake.”

“It had walnuts in it. I’m allergic.”

“How was I supposed to know that!? You never told me.”

“You never asked.” Bokuto gave a huff and crossed his arms, giving Akaashi a soft glare.

“Stop ruining our love story.” Akaashi rolled his eyes again but made the motion of zipping his lips and tossing the key. 

“Okay back to what I was saying. I was being super romantic but nothing was working until one day I bumped into him in the hallway after practice. I was still all sweaty and gross in my uniform and I thought that I was really going to ruin any chance I had with him, but he took one look at me and thought I was so sexy that he forgot how to speak.” Akaashi opened his mouth to argue but Bokuto glared and pointed a finger at him.

“No more interrupting! And it’s so true! You even tried to unlock the wrong apartment door!” A dark red flush spread across Akaashi’s cheeks but he didn’t didn’t open his mouth to retort. 

“We went on a date the next week and the rest is history. Things were a little rough in the beginning, I got some pretty negative press for coming out as gay, but my team stood beside me and after we won bronze at the Olympics everyone forgot about it. When we got married there was a lot more support from the public and everyone was ecstatic when we announced that we had gotten a surrogate and were having the boys. Now for the past 7 years I have been with the love of my life, we have the greatest kids ever, and everything is perfect.”

Bokuto walked over to where Akaashi was sitting and cupped the man’s face in his hands, pulling him into a tender kiss.

“Did I get everything right?” 

“We’ve only been together 6 years and 7 months Bokuto.” Akaashi planted a small kiss to the tip of Bokuto’s nose before he could retort. 

Kageyama didn’t know how to respond. He had never experienced a love like they all had. His years with Umi were dark and full of miserable experiences and his relationship with Hinata was so new that there was no story to tell. He couldn’t help but envy them for the years they had been able to spend in love.

“Listen man...sorry. We don’t want it to seem like we are rubbing our relationships in your face.” Kuroo looked at him guiltily from across the room. The other 3 looked up at him, a worried look crossing their faces. Kageyama didn’t want them to feel guilty about their relationships, while he did envy them, he was happy that they had all found love. 

“You’re fine. I asked. I’ve never had anything like what you all have but...I’m hoping one day I might.” A giddy warmth filled Kageyama’s chest when he thought about being able to tell a similar story a decade from now. When his daughter talked about how her parent’s fell in love she would be able to tell a long sappy love story instead of a cold dark nightmare. 

“Oh yea you’re dating Hinata now right? Does he let you call him sensei?” Kuroo waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Kageyama, but in the brief moment of distraction Kenma took the opportunity to hurl a pillow at Kuroo’s head from the bean bag chair. His aim was true and the light blue square bounced against the police officer’s temple.

“Go make snacks for the kids and stop being a pervert.” Kuroo let out a chuckle but followed his boyfriend’s orders and walked into the kitchen to make something for their children. 

Kageyama sat back on the couch and thought about the future of his relationship with Hinata. Even though his friend’s didn’t have traditional relationships, it was clear that they were all hopelessly in love with their partners. It was little interactions that demonstrated this love, not large romantic gestures and expensive gifts like Umi had demanded.

It was Bokuto calming Akaashi down when he got stressed about the kids. Kuroo eating all the peanuts and raisins out of the trail mix because Kenma only liked the almonds and chocolate chips. Akaashi always makes sure to press himself close to Bokuto because the other man craves the contact, even though he isn’t a fan of PDA himself. And even though Kenma hates Kpop and Jpop he lets Kuroo blast it over the radio because he loves to watch him sing along to the girly songs.

Their love was also clear when you saw them with their kids. Their eyes always softened when they looked at their children, their adoration clear. All their kids had ever known was infinite love from their parents, love that had first grown between each couple. It was difficult to create a warm and happy home when you didn’t love your partner, that's why Kageyama knew he had to get out so he could create the best life for Rini, and why his childhood home had always seemed so cold and barren. The love each of them shared had been strengthened through perseverance and dedication and could weather the toughest storms. 

Kageyama hoped that one day he would be able to follow their example and create a love like that for himself. He had a lot to work on until he could do that, first he had to learn how to love and take care of himself, but he knew that one day if he worked hard he could have it. Mentally he added another bullet to his long term goals list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter! The next chapter will be the custody trail so get ready!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who takes the time to leave a kudos or a comment, your support means a lot <3


	11. Eclipsed By Anguish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama and Umi fight for custody of Rini and then tragedy strikes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll I was shaking while I wrote this chapter. I'm the one writing it and I know how this story is going to end and I was STILL NERVOUS about what was going to happen. It just shows you how invested I am in this. 
> 
> Also I am sorry for what I'm about to do to you all. Please forgive me <3

As the court date grew closer, Kageyama found himself fraying at the seams. He was barely sleeping, the image of Rini being dragged away from him kept him tossing and turning all night. He felt like a zombie moving mindlessly through his day, not even Rini’s adorable antics were able to snap him out of his slump. He knew that everyone had noticed his behavior too.

His staff were not so subtly watching his every move, eyes trained on him with worried expressions and constantly asking him if he needed anything. Oikawa stayed for dinner almost every night now, always keeping a close watch on Kageyama in case he stumbled. His and Hinata’s nighttime phone calls were full of awkward silences and short lifeless responses. He just couldn’t will himself to try and act normal, all of his energy was constantly being sapped away by his anxiety. 

The morning of the custody trial, Kageyama found himself kneeling in front of the toilet in his bathroom, retching up bile as his anxiety tried to claw its way out of him. He slumped down and curled up against the cool tile floor and closed his eyes. Exhaustion had seeped into his bones and all he wanted to do was sleep for the rest of eternity, but every time he closed his eyes he saw Umi carrying a screaming Rini away from him. Tears streamed down his daughter’s cheeks and she was reaching out to him, begging him to save her, but he was chained down and no matter how hard he pulled he couldn’t move. 

Shakily he stood and made his way down the hall to her room. Most nights he ended up here for some period of time. The only thing that was able to calm his racing heart was to see her tranquil state as she slept snuggly in her bed. Shimizu-san said that she felt confident that they would win the trial, but with a steady steel gaze she also told him that nothing was guaranteed. Kageyama sunk to the floor by his daughter’s bed, reaching out to brush a stray piece of hair off her cheek. 

He felt tears swell in his eyes as he thought about how much he loved her and how he would lay down his life to protect her. Before Rini was born Kageyama knew he had never truly experienced love, but the second he held her tiny screaming form in his arms he was blindsided by the pure and unwavering love he felt for his daughter. That love grew alongside her, and with every giggle and smile Kageyama still felt that all consuming adoration for his daughter. 

It didn’t matter how exhausted or scared he was, he would fight as long as it meant keeping her safe. He stayed there awhile longer, watching the golden hues of the rising sun paint Rini’s chubby cheeks. It felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff and the results from the trial today would either be the gust of wind that blew him over or the hand that pulled him back. No matter what happened later, he knew his life would never be the same after today.

~~~

“Thank you again for watching her.” Kageyama stood in Akaashi and Bokuto’s living room while Rini was dragged away by the twins. Oikawa was accompanying him to the trial and Kageyama wanted Rini to be in the best possible mood today in case his nightmares became reality. 

“It's no trouble Kageyama-san. You and Rini are always welcome here.” The other man’s tone was soft but Kageyama didn’t miss the way his eyes traced over his exhausted form. Dark bags hung heavy under Kageyama’s eyes and his cheekbones had sharpened due to his lack of appetite. A steady hand reached out and grabbed the crooked tie around Kageyama’s neck, undoing the knot easily and expertly retying it. 

“Everything will be fine today Kageyama-san. Soon this will all be behind you.” Kageyama gave him a halfhearted smile. He knew Akaashi meant well but the other man had been in a loving relationship for 7 years and had no worries about his children being taken away from him. Until Kageyama heard the words come out of the judge’s mouth he knew he wouldn’t be able to relax. 

“Here is her bag. I put some snacks and extra clothes in here just in case. We should be done at 4:00 so I will call you when we leave the court house.” He moved to hand Akaashi the bag but paused. “No matter what happens today...I have to be the one to tell her…” He prayed that everyone’s optimism wasn’t misplaced and that they would win the trial easily, but if they didn’t he had to be the one to tell his daughter. That burden was his alone to shoulder.

“Of course Kageyama-san. I promise to take good care of her until you return.” Kageyama gave a small nod of thanks and gave Akaashi the bag. The raven haired man walked towards the sound of his daughter's voice to one of the back bedrooms. The little girl sat in awe as she listened to Hayato and Hakaku show off their new lizard.

“Hey Bunny, Daddy’s gotta go. Can I get a hug goodbye?” The little girl looked at him from the floor and then quickly bounced up and wrapped her tiny arms around one of Kageyama’s legs. The raven haired man knelt down and enveloped her in a warm hug. He had to bite the inside of his cheek hard to keep back the tears threatening to run down his cheeks.

Rini pulled back from the hug and gave him an incredulous stare.

“Daddy why are you sad? Are you sad you can’t hold the lizard? If you ask nicely I’m sure you can!” Kageyama forced a rueful smile. 

“Daddy isn’t sad Bunny I’m just tired.” 

“You’re always tired now.” Rini’s voice softened and blue eyes glanced down at the carpet. Kageyama felt a pang of guilt in his chest, he had been trying his best to not let this affect his daughter but clearly he hadn’t been trying enough. He reached out and pulled Rini close, pressing a tender kiss to her head. 

“I know and I’m sorry Bunny. But you’re going to have an awesome day here and then when I get back we can go to that fancy mochi store and get dessert for tonight. Does that sound good?” Rini beamed up at him and nodded her head eagerly. Kageyama felt some of the guilt melt away. 

As he walked out of the house he felt the dark black clouds that had been hovering in the horizon descend upon him with a righteous fury. Now all that was left was to go to the court house. Oikawa had been sitting patiently in the car, typing nervously on his phone as he waited for Kageyama to return. Throughout all of this Oikawa had tried to remain cool and level headed, but Kageyama could tell that the other man’s nerves were eating away at him too. 

Kageyama slipped behind the steering wheel and leaned forward, bagging his forehead against it softly. 

“I don’t want to do this.” The crushing weight of  _ ‘what if’ _ was suffocating him. What if they lost. What if Rini had to go back to Tokyo with Umi. What if neither of them were deemed fit and Rini had to go into foster care. A mantra of every worst case scenario was repeating itself continuously in his head, never letting him find a moment of rest. 

“Tobio look at me.” Kageyama let out a long sigh and turned his head so that his gaze rested on Oikawa. The brunette looked at him with a determined stare, mouth set in a thin line. 

“No matter what happens today that woman is not taking Rini. I don’t care if we have to change out names and move to America, but Rini is staying with us. We are family and I will do anything I have to to protect that.” Oikawa’s words sent a rush of assurance through Kageyama. No matter what happened they had each other and nothing would change that. They had packed up and ran before, they could do it again. He felt a pang of sadness when he thought about the Crow’s Nest, about his friends, about Hinata, but Rini would always come before all of them, no matter what. 

They drove to the courthouse in silence.The large stone building cast a foreboding shadow over them as they walked up the marble steps. The rest of Kageyama’s life hinged on one decision and the man who was going to make that decision was in this building right now. 

Shimizu-san was standing in the main lobby waiting for them when they arrived. She was dressed in a simple charcoal pantsuit with her long black hair pinned neatly up. Her posture gave her an authoritative aura, Kageyama glupped, he was glad she was on their side. 

“Our case will be held in room 3 down the hall. There are still a few trials ahead of ours so if you have anything you need to attend to, now is the time.” Steel eyes looked at both of the men for a response. “I assure you Kageyama-san that I have worked my hardest, and I believe we have a strong case, but no matter what happens here today we will be by your side.” 

Kageyama had heard those words countless times over the past 48 hours. Everyone had pulled him aside at some point and told him that he wasn’t alone, that no matter what happened he had people who were there for him. He knew that their intentions were pure but their words did little to ease his worries. If it were up to any of them there would be no question that Rini would be staying with him, but it wasn’t up to them. The decision lied in the hands of a complete stranger who was going to make a verdict based off of some papers in 2 neat little folders. 

The ink on those papers could never convey the hell he went through. It wasn’t stained with his blood like the floor of their apartment had been. It wasn’t purple with bruises like he had been. Words could convey the hatefulness of her screams and fists. And even still those papers were the only thing that he could use to fight and try to keep his daughter safe. What was it that they said? The pen is mightier than the sword. In his case those words were true.

The trio silently crept into the court room and sat in the very back row. There were a few other small groups of people scattered about, Kageyama assumed they were also waiting on their case number to be called. Navy eyes quickly scanned the room and he didn’t recognize any of the other figures. Would Umi fail to show again? He wouldn’t put it past her to show up just to cause him panic and then vanish without a trace. 

Kageyama stared down at his hands and tried to swallow his heart before it lept out of his throat. The voices around him faded away and he focused on each shaky breath that rattled his chest. 5 minutes before their appointed time the courtroom doors opened and Kageyama heard the familiar clack of heels against the hardwood floors. He spared a second's glance to see the saccharine smile that spread across Umi’s face when she noticed them. 

She was dressed impeccably in a scarlet knee length dress and a string of snow while pearls around her neck. She bore little resemblance to the drunk woman from 7 years ago, but the wickedness behind her sweet smile had stayed the same.

“Case Number 0109 Kageyama vs Sato please step up to the stand.” Kageyama felt Shimizu lightly grab his elbow and pull him to his feet. He listlessly followed her, with each step his heart hammered harder in his chest and his knees began to tremble. Oikawa followed them but had to sit on the bench behind the small wall separating the gallery from the defendants and prosecution. 

A short man with curly black hair and a sunny smile sat in the judge’s chair. He took the file handed to him by the bailiff and began looking at the documents. 

“All rise for the honorable Judge Takeda.” The 4 of them gave a deep bow to the judge. He gave them all a small nod in return and motioned for them to be seated.

“This court has been assigned to the complaint for custody between Kageyama Tobio and Sato Umi. The prosecution is suing for full custody of Kageyama Rini effectively immediately. Are both parties ready to proceed with their show cause?”

“We are your honor.” Shimizu and Daishou said in unison. The judge nodded his head.

“Daishou-san you may now present your evidence.” The other man gave a small smile and stood, bowing his head in thanks.

“Your honor my client’s daughter was taken from her when the child was only a few weeks old. She was blindsided by a custody trial 6 years ago and was not given ample time to prepare. The defendant had kicked her out of their shared apartment and would not allow her access to any of her belongings, money, or their child. After gaining full custody of the child the defendant then fled Tokyo and did not tell my client where they were going. She has spent the last 6 years searching for them in hopes that she could be reunited with the child that was so heartlessly stolen from her.”

Kageyama gripped the arms of his chair with white knuckles. He could not believe the absolute bullshit that was coming out of Daishou’s mouth. Umi was the one who vanished without a trace. She had a key to their apartment and he never changed the locks, she could have come back any time she pleased, but no she had abandoned them. He had texted her every day about the court date but she never replied or answered any of his phone calls. They had contorted the story so that Umi looked like the victim and he looked like the monster. The harsh sound of a chair being pulled against the hardwoods echoed throughout the room as Umi stood.

“Your honor may I say a few words?” Her voice was thick with tears. The judge gave a small nod.

“I understand I made mistakes when my sweet baby was born. I was fighting the demons of my past and I will admit that I did not handle them in the most healthy manner. After I lost my Rini I spent a year in rehab so that I could be the Mommy my little angel deserves. Her father never gave me that opportunity and now I’ve missed 6 precious years with her. Every little girl needs her mother and my Rini needs to grow up in a healthy environment where she can see what a family is  _ supposed _ to be. All I want is the opportunity to get to know and raise my own child.”

A few silent tears began to run down the woman’s face. Daishou pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Umi, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and rubbing them soothingly. 

“Thank you Sato-san for your statement. Now if that is all I will hand the floor to the defendants.” Shimizu stood and gave a small bow.

“Thank you, your honor. The story told to you moments ago failed to mention several important details. The first of which is that Sato-san physically, verbally, and emotionally abused Kageyama-san for the entirety of their relationship. She would drink heavily and then harass and beat him, at one point beating him until he was unconscious while they were at a party with one of Kageyama-san’s coworkers. If you look at the files I provided there is a full psychiatric report written up by Dr. Semi, Kageyama-san’s psychologist. You will see that he has diagnosed Kageyama-san with extreme anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder, all stemming from the abuse he suffered at Sato-san’s hands.

Furthermore Kageyama-san has not been hiding from Sato-san. For the past 5 years he has run a successful business in town and has been an active member of the community. A simple search of his name would have provided his location, but Sato-san has made no attempts to contact Kageyama-san since he left 6 years ago. We have also provided video evidence of Sato-san admitting to the abuse in Tokyo.” Daishou shot up from his chair at the last statement.

“Objection your honor. The prosecution motions for the video evidence to be removed.”

“On what grounds Daishou-san?”

“My client was not aware she was being recorded. The police officer who recorded the conversation was off duty and had no business wearing his uniform. He also entered at the end of the conversation and the video is easily taken out of context.”

“Your honor, Detective Kuroo’s police cruiser was parked in front of the establishment right in front of the main doors which Sato-san used to enter the building. It would have been clear that a police officer was present. Furthermore, starting November of last year it became a legal requirement for all officers to wear body cams while in uniform. Therefore, Sato-san should have assumed she was being recorded due to Detective Kuroo being in uniform. I have also provided statements for 2 other parties present for the entire conversation that the video is not out of context and Sato-san is admitting to the abuse.”

“Your honor, those 2 statements are written by the defendant’s best friend and employee. They will be heavily biased in the defendant’s favor.” A loud clap of Takeda’s mallot against the wood of his desk silenced the room. 

“I rule that the video evidence remains. Detective Kuroo made no attempts to hide his identity as a police officer. Your client should be more cognizant of what she says while in public places in the future.” Daishou gave a rueful smile but bowed his head in acceptance of the judge’s ruling. Shimizu glanced down at Kageyama and gave him a soft smile, there was a fire glittering in her dark grey eyes. 

A small TV was rolled out and the body cam footage was played. Kageyama felt a bitter triumph burn in his stomach at Umi’s stoic expression as she watched herself scream on the screen. It was nothing like the heartbroken act she put on moments ago, the screen showed her true form. Her face was neutral but Kageyama saw the way her nails bit into her palms. When the video ended Takeda’s gaze landed on Kageyama. 

“Kageyama-san do you have anything you would like to say?” Every thought that had been swimming in his head for the past week vanished and his mind went blank. There were a million things he wanted to say but none of them came to him. His tongue felt like lead and his throat constricted, smothering any words before they would reach his lips. A strong hand gripped his shoulder and Kageyama turned to meet Oikawa’s hardened stare. 

“You can do this. For Bunny.” Kageyama felt his heart surge in his chest. He had to do this for Rini, he had to protect her. His breath rattled in his chest as he stood on shaky legs, bracing against the table to keep himself from stumbling forwards.

“I...Your honor...my daughter is my entire world. Before her I had no purpose, no will to live, I was completely empty. But the day she came into my life...she is the single greatest thing to ever happen to me. I wanted us to be a happy family, I wanted to provide my daughter the loving home I never got to experience, but the day we brought her home from the hospital I came back after work to find that Umi had abandoned our 4 day old child and left her alone for over 10 hours.” Tears freely ran down his cheeks and the only thing that kept him standing was his hands pressed against the solid wood of the table in front of him. 

“I changed everything in my life so that I could provide the best life possible for Rini. She has never had to struggle or want for anything. She has a warm roof over her head, toys to play with, nutritious food in her stomach, a good school to go to, friends to play with, and she is constantly surrounded by love. She would have never known any of these things if we had stayed in Tokyo. I knew I had to protect her from the nightmare I had been living, I refused to let that toxic environment taint her. I love Bunny with every fiber of my being your honor. She is my whole reason for living.” 

Kageyama couldn’t stop the sob that wracked his body and he sunk back down into his chair. Oikawa leaned over and hugged him awkwardly from behind. Shimizu reached into her bag and handed Kageyama a small packet of tissues which he used to wipe the tears and snot off his face. After a few moments of silence he managed to calm his erratic breathing and all eyes landed on Takeda, waiting for his verdict. 

The curly haired man had lost his sunny disposition and started down at the file in front of him with cold eyes. He meticulously flipped through the documents, eyes quickly scanning over every page. Everyone in the room stopped breathing when he finally looked up.

“I have made my decision. In the case of Kageyama vs Sato I will uphold the previous court’s verdict of granting Kageyama Tobio full custody of Kageyama Rini effective immediately. You are adjourned.” 

The words reverberated throughout the silent courtroom as all parties took a moment to digest the weight of them. They had won. Kageyama felt 2 sets of arms wrap around him in a tight hug, there was excited chatter from behind him but he couldn’t focus on the words. The judge’s verdict still echoed in his mind. The sound of glass shattering silenced all celebrations and all eyes fell on Umi.

The woman was enraged, shards of glass crunched under her feet as she stomped towards Kageyama’s table. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around Shimizu and pulled the lawyer behind him, his body already bracing from an impact on impulse. A scream was ripped from Umi’s lips and was punctuated by the sharp sound of her palm against Kageyama’s cheek. 

“I will  _ RUIN YOU! I WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE!” _ The bailiff sprinted forward and wrapped his arms around Umi’s waist, pulling the woman into the air and away from Kageyama. She continued to kick and scream, her shoes flying off her feet and her neat bun tumbling down her shoulders. This version of Umi was one Kageyama was very familiar with. Eyes blown out with rage, an almost rabid expression on her face as she spit poison at him, attempting to break him with her words. 

Takeda smashed his mallot against his podium, demanding that Umi be removed from his court and that Daishou get control over his client. Umi was removed from the room and her screams slowly faded away as she was taken down the hall and away from them. 

“Kageyama-san are you alright?” Shimizu’s soft voice felt like almost a whisper compared to Umi’s deafening screams. Kageyama touched his cheek, it was still hot from the impact and he could taste iron from a small cut in his lip. 

“I’m alright. It's not the worst she’s done to me.” He turned to look up at Takeda who was looking at him with eyes full of sorrow. The father stepped out in front of the table and gave a deep bow to the judge.

“Thank you Takeda-sama. Thank you for protecting my daughter.” 

“Kageyama-san you are the one who is protecting her. The sacrifices you have made to protect her are truly astounding and your strength should be revered. Oftentimes in this job I see horrors that no person should have to live through and have to make decisions that will haunt me until my last breath. Today was not one of those days. Today you showed me the love that every child deserves and for that I am grateful. I congratulate you on all of your hard work and wish you both happy lives.”

Kageyama followed Shimizu and Oikawa back out of the courtroom and to the front of the building. The shadows that had threatened to swallow him before had now been banished by the late afternoon sun, birds were singing and children were laughing as they walked down the streets. All of the colors and sounds that had been muted by his anxiety were in full bloom now. Kageyama turned to Shimizu and wrapped the woman in a tight hug.

“Thank you...none of this would have been possible without you.” Shimizu wrapped her arms around Kageyama in a delicate embrace. 

“I did this for Sakura-chan. I wasn’t able to save her but now Rini will be able to live the life that Sakura was robbed of.” 

~~~

Oikawa was already busy typing away at his phone and telling everyone the good news. Kageyama had texted Akaashi the verdict and that they were on their way. He had one singular focus and that was to see his daughter. They could finally move on and Kageyama didn’t have to live his life in fear anymore. As Umi was dragged out of the courtroom he felt the last of her chains wrapped around Kageyama snap away, and he was finally able to stand. 

The ghosts of his past had been chased away and he finally didn’t have to worry about what was lurking in his shadows behind him. It felt like for the first time in 7 years he was able to breath. He pulled the car up in front of Akaashi and Bokuto’s house and scrambled out, bounding his way through the yard in a few long strides. The dark wooden door opened and Rini darted out from behind it and sprinted towards her father, meeting him halfway in the grass. 

He reached down and scooped her into his arms, holding her above his head as he spun her around.  _ Finally _ , he could rest easy knowing that she was safe and always would be safe. Akaashi leaned against the doorframe and watched the father and daughter’s reunion, rapidly blinking away the tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes. 

~~~

After leaving Akaashi’s they went to the fancy mochi store and Kageyama let his daughter live her wildest dreams and choose as many sweet treats as she wanted. After she had picked out enough mochi for everyone at the Crow’s Nest to enjoy their fill, they left and went home where the festivities had already begun. 

Inside the lobby the entire staff was waiting for them and they all erupted in cheer when the small family returned. All of the men clutched Kageyama in warm hugs and they all ignored the tears of joy that sparkled in everyone’s eyes. Laughter and cheer echoed throughout the halls again and they all felt Umi’s darkness being swept away by their joy. 

They gathered in the dining hall where Rini took great care to pass out mochi to everyone, assuring they all got their favorite flavors. Kageyama took a moment to slip into his office and dialed the phone number of the one person he had been aching to talk to since the verdict. The phone barely rang once before it was picked up.

“Kageyama!?” Hinata’s frantic voice filtered through the phone. The redhead had been anxiously pacing in his apartment, waiting for a call.

“We won. Hinata we won.” A sob tore through Hinata’s throat 

“I-I knew you could do it ‘Yama.” Kageyama wanted to say a million things. He wanted to promise Hinata a lifetime of happy memories. He wanted to promise the other man that his warm smile would never leave his face and that Kageyama would spend the rest of his life falling in love with it every day. He wanted to promise that in sickness and in health, through good times and bad that he would always be by his side. 

“Come over tomorrow. I don’t care what we do but just come over. I wan...I  _ need _ to be with you.” Umi had stalled the beginning to their happily ever after for long enough, Kageyama refused to wait another day. 

“Of course! Of course I’ll come over.” Hinata croaked out his words between sniffles and cries. 

“Oi, dumbass don’t cry. We are finally free. We can finally be happy.” 

“These are happy tears Bakegyama! I’m just so glad you’re finally able to live the life you deserve.” Kageyama wasn’t sure his body couldn handle the amount of happiness that was flowing through him right now. For so long he had been living in sorrow and pain and he was sure that all of this joy was going to put him in shock. 

Kageyama spent the rest of the evening celebrating with his friends...no his  _ family. _ They all sat together in the dining room trading stories and laughter while gorging themselves on pizza and sweets. By the end of the night Kageyama’s cheeks hurt from how much he had been smiling and his stomach ached from laughter. 

He carried a sleeping Rini back to their home, barely managing to wake the little girl for long enough to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas. She hummed happily as he tucked her in under her blankets, clutching her favorite stuffed animal to her chest. 

“Good night Bunny. I love you.” Kageyama leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his daughter’s forehead. Tiny arms sluggishly pushed the head of the stuffed animal into his face. 

“Hana wants a kiss too.” The father let out a soft chuckle and humored her wish by placing a quick peck to the worn black cotton. Satisfied, she pulled the dog back into her chest.

“Love you too Daddy.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she finally succumbed to her exhaustion. Kageyama sat there for a few more moments and watched her even breaths before he finally pushed himself up off the floor and made his way to his own room. 

After over a week of nights full of restlessness and the horrors of his past, he felt like he could sleep for the next year. Now that the adrenalin from their victory had worn off, his fatigue caught up with him and hit him like a freight train. Gravity suddenly became heavier around him and his bones somehow transformed into iron rods.

Kageyama barely managed to fling off his clothes and stumble into his bed. The second his head hit the pillow he welcomed sleep with open arms and within minutes he was snoring softly. The nightmares of his past were distant memories now and he dreamt of sunny days surrounded by those he loved. 

~~~

At some ungodly early hour Kageyama’s eyes blinked open in a daze. For the first time in weeks he had finally been able to fall asleep and now the incessant buzzing of his phone on the nightstand had pulled him out of his blissful slumber. Blindly he reached out, fingers flopping uselessly around the nightstand until they grasped his phone. 

“Hullo?” He mumbled.

“Kageyama-san! You need to come to the Crow’s Nest quickly! There are people vandalizing the building. They’re throwing rocks through all the windows!” Kageyama snapped out of his drowsy state and sat straight up in bed. He looked down at his phone and saw a number he didn’t recognize. 

“Who is this?”

“My name is Akagi Yumiko. My husband and I are guests at the Crow’s Nest. We can see them from our window. They are using large stones to shatter the glass and have destroyed the fence around the front of the property. There are 3 of them.” 

Kageyama bolted around his room to change into something less revealing than just his boxers. 

“Akagi-san I am on my way. I am going to hang up now so I can call the police. Please stay in your room and keep the doors locked.” He hung up the phone and quickly dialed for the police. He fumbled to tell the woman over the phone what was happening, begging her to send the police as quickly as possible. After that he called Oikawa but was sent straight to voicemail. 

“Hey dumbass wake up! Someone is breaking the windows at the Nest. The police are on their way. Call me as soon as you see this!” 

Kageyama stumbled through the darkness, suddenly forgetting the layout of his home in his panic. He rushed to the door to get a pair of shoes when a bright sparkly pair of pink sneakers stopped him dead in his tracks. If he left that meant Rini would be left alone in the house. Akagi-san had said she saw 3 people destroying the front of the building but that didn’t mean there weren’t more elsewhere on the property. But he didn’t know how long it would take the police to get there and he had 15 rooms full of customers who were his responsibility. If one of them were to get hurt he would never forgive himself. 

Quietly he opened the front door to his house to survey the backyard. Now that he was in the open night air he could hear the tell tale sounds of glass shattering and muffled yells from the front of the building, but the backyard was empty and silent. No masked figures lurked in the shadows threatening the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded his home. 

After a few moments of internal struggle Kageyama decided to slip on his sneakers and go confront the vandals. He locked the door and the deadbolt, triple checking to make sure the door was secure. He wouldn’t be gone long and the police would be there soon, he had to protect his business and assure the safety of his customers. 

Kageyama crept through the damp grass to the backdoor of the bed and breakfast. Once inside the crunching of glass under footsteps and yells of delight were much louder, pouring in through the empty window panes. Kageyama stayed pressed against the wall and tried to stay out of sight for as long as possible. He realized far too late that there were 3 of them and only 1 of him and he had nothing on his person that could be used as a weapon to defend himself. 

Once he reached the reception desk he could see the 3 vandals illuminated by the moonlight. They were all dressed entirely in black with black masks covering their mouths and noses. From their builds and the sounds of their muffled voices they looked young, no older than highschoolers. They had bottles of spray paint and were each taking turns painting things in the grass and on the siding of the building. 

Kageyama crouched behind the reception desk and tried to organize his thoughts. They weren’t coming into the building, seemingly satisfied with destroying just the outside. If he tried to scare them off they could either charge him or bolt, but if they ran there was almost no chance of figuring out their identities. Kageyama decided to hunker down behind the desk and keep a close eye on them all, if they tried to enter the building then he would intervene, but until then he would stand guard until the police arrived. 

He looked down at the phone clutched in his hands and willed time to move faster, ears constantly listening for the tell tale sirens that help had arrived. The vandalizm continued uninterrupted for another 10 minutes before the victorious sound of police sirens could be heard from down the road. Soon blue and red lights illuminated the darkness in front of the building.

The vandals attempted to scatter knowing that the police officers couldn’t catch all of them. One had made a fatal error and hesitated on which direction he should run, giving the police a few precious moments to close the distance and tackle him to the ground. Kageyama emerged from his hiding place and moved to the front of the building to greet them. 

Over the next few minutes the front parking lot of the Crow’s Nest became a circus. Several more police cars arrived, their lights made it look like they were hosting a festival in the front lawn. Daichi and Sugawara also came after receiving Kageyama’s text message. Iwaizumi called and told Kageyama that he was on his way to collect Oikawa and that they would be there shortly. 

They went around to each of the rooms to check up on all the guests and assure that they were all safe and uninjured. Kageyama apologized profusely and assured that all of their stays would be reimbursed. There was little they could do about the damage done to the front of the building in the middle of the night and would have to wait until morning to assess the full brunt of the vandalizm. For now they placed tarps over the broken windows and did their best to block off where there were large chunks of glass. 

Kageyama made his way to the backyard to grab the trash cans and gloves so they could try and pick up some of the broken shards. Blue eyes looked over at his home and he froze in his tracks, the front door was wide open. Adrenaline shot through his veins and he sprinted across the yard.

The inside looked untouched, nothing was broken or moved, but he didn’t care about any of his belongings. Kageyama felt his heart hammering in his chest as he flung open the door at the end of the hallway to a room with pastel pink walls. In the corner there was a little white bed with Princess Elsa sheets where a little raven haired girl should be sound asleep, clutching a worn black dog stuffed animal. Instead the bed sat cold and empty, a sad looking plush dog laid on the floor lost without its owner. 

“Bunny?!” Kageyama tore apart the rest of the house, screaming for his daughter. He left no stone unturned as he ripped open every door and flipped on every light. Panic began to consume him as his calls were met with silence, no little voice whimpering from a corner and calling his name. 

“Tobio what's wrong?” Oikawa stood in the living room, brown eyes wide with concern when he saw the state of the house. Kageyama rushed over to the other man, clutching his shoulders so hard there would be bruises the next day. There was a manic expression on his face as the reality of the situation came crashing down on him. 

“Rini’s gone….someone took her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Chapter 12 is coming soon I promise. Please dont riot.


	12. Happiest Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama's world starts spinning again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my peace offering for the brutal ending to last chapter. 
> 
> Also there are 2 MORE CHAPTERS LEFT! The next one if going to be a year time skip and then the epilogue will be a 10 year time skip.  
> Thank you all so much for sharing this journey with me and continuing to support me every chapter! I love this fic with all my heart and its bitter sweet that it is finally coming to a close.
> 
> Thank you all for taking the time to read <3 I hope you enjoy

Kageyama stared up at the white ceiling of his bedroom, blue eyes lazily tracing over the water stains and small cracks. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon but he had been living the past 48 hours in complete darkness. After Kageyama and Oikawa couldn’t find Rini in the house they searched every inch of the backyard and the Crow’s Nest but there was no sign of the little girl. They then took to the streets, calling for Rini until their feet bled and they collapsed from exhaustion. 

Posters of the Rini’s face were stapled to every surface in town. There was a small army of people looking for her but the little girl had vanished without a trace. Kuroo had ruthlessly interrogated the vandal they had managed to apprehend but he wasn’t much help, telling them that he and his friends had been paid 100,000 yen each to destroy the front of the building. 

All of the windows on the ground floor were smashed and destroyed, the fence had been torn apart and ripped out of the ground, and using bright red spray paint they covered the gray siding with homophobic slurs and insults. It was going to cost them thousands to repair but that was the last thing on everyone’s mind. Kageyama was being forced to stay at home. They told him to let the police do their jobs and they promised to bring Rini back to him safe and sound, but every moment he stayed in his home while she was missing was agonizing. 

He replayed that night in his head endlessly, self loathing and despair washing over him as he watched himself walk out the door and leave Rini alone and defenceless. He could have been there, he could have protected her, but he left and now she was gone. It had been 2 days and they still hadn’t found her. The summer heat baked the air outside. What if she didn’t have water? She was in her pajamas when she went missing, were her feet raw from walking barefoot? Who had her and why did they take her? 

Kageyama grit his teeth and screwed his eyes shut. Kuroo had taken the lead on the case, the other man called multiple times a day to update him on the situation. He always tried to sound positive but each phone call brought the same news, _‘we haven’t found her’_ . Images of his daughter scared and crying flashed through his mind constantly. He would do anything, _give anything_ , to have her safe at home in his arms right now. 

“Kageyama?” There was a light knock at the door and a head of bright orange hair slowly peeked into the room. Hinata had been staying with him ever since Rini went missing, wanting to stay close in case there was any new news and to keep an eye on Kageyama. He walked into the room holding a tall glass of orange juice and a small plate of fruit. Kageyama’s appetite had been non-existent since Rini had gone missing. 

“You should eat something to keep your strength up.” Kageyama listlessly sat up, eyeing the fruit with indifference. Hinata sat the dishes down on the nightstand, pushing aside the plate with an uneaten sandwich he had brought in last night, and perched himself on the edge of the bed. They sat there in silence, Hinata knew no words he said would bring any ease to Kageyama’s pain, and the raven haired man was thankful that he wasn’t ignorant enough to believe that they would. 

Everyone was stricken with grief in the little girl’s absence. It was like the sun that lit up their little world had been blown out, and now they orbited around an empty space, lost and cold. All of the guests had been reimbursed and relocated to different inns and hotels nearby, so the staff had taken refuge in the rooms so they could be close in case Rini wandered home. 

Kageyama looked over at Hinata, the teacher was staring blankly at the floor. They both willed the phone to ring and have Kuroo tell them good news. He focused on the cold empty thud of his heart in his chest. There was no warmth behind the beats, all of the life in his chest existed for the sole purpose of raising Rini, and now that the little girl was gone he was no more than an empty shell. 

Oikawa had completely thrown himself into managing the renovations on the Crow’s Nest. The brunette worked himself tirelessly each day in an attempt to distract himself from the Rini shaped hole in his life, scared that if he paused for even a second he would crumble. They had different ways of grieving but each one ended in the same result, destroying themselves. Kageyama allowed himself to crumble from the inside out, his anxiety and self hatred smothering his will to live. While Oikawa destroyed himself physically, working until his body broke and then continuing to push it until it failed him completely. 

Kageyama knew the statistics. The first 72 hours were the most critical in missing persons cases, any time after that the chances of finding the victim alive...decreased substantially. The sun was rising on the 3rd day of Rini being missing and the police were no closer to finding her than they were the night she went missing. He had to push those thoughts to the deepest recesses of his mind, if he went down that path he knew there was no way he would be able to claw his way back out. She was alive and they were going to bring her home, they had to. 

“Kag-” Hinata started to say something but was cut off by Kageyama’s phone buzzing against the nightstand. With lightning fast reflexes (honed over years of being a father) Kageyama snatched up the phone and pressed it to his ear.

“Hello?!” 

“Kageyama we got her. She’s safe and you can come get her at the station.” Kuroo was half crying and half laughing into the receiver. Kageyama felt himself break under the weight of the words, sobbing into his hands. 

“She’s safe. She’s safe. She’s safe.” Those words were the sweetest sound he had ever heard. Hinata threw his arms around Kageyama and pulled him into a tight embrace, tears running down his own face. For a few moments they sat there holding each other and crying, the relief they felt was debilitating. 

“Dressed...I need clothes...we have to go to the station.” It was difficult to organize his thoughts, his mind only being able to focus on the fact that he needed to get to Rini _now._ Hinata popped up off the bed and threw Kageyama the clothes from the top of his dirty hamper. The teacher was dressed in pajama bottoms covered in little crows and an old ratty t-shirt from his highschool volleyball club, but he had no intentions on wasting time to get changed. 

As soon as Kageyama was dressed they sprinted out the door and into the Crow’s Nest, blue eyes widely looking for Oikawa, and when he didn’t immediately find him he resorted to screaming the man’s name instead. Instantly, 7 figures materialized in front of him, all wearing the same distressed expression. Oikawa looked haggard, dark black circles hung under his eyes and his hair was greasy and slightly matted down on one side. 

“She’s safe.” Those 2 words crumbled all of the other men’s resolve. Oikawa collapsed to the ground, screaming and sobbing into his hands. Iwaizumi kneeled down to cradle Oikawa in his arms, tears running down his own cheeks. Daichi and Asahi let out cries of relief and clung to each other in a tight hug. Tanaka and Noya clutched each other as they wailed and cried about how happy they were. Even Tsukishima couldn’t hold back his pained whimpers as he pressed his palms into his eyes as if it would stop the tears streaming down his cheeks. 

Kageyama, Oikawa, Hinata, and Iwaizumi all piled themselves into Iwaizumi’s car. He was the only one not so hysterical that they couldn’t drive. The drive to the police station felt like a fever dream, simultaneously taking no time and an eternity. 

Kageyama and Oikawa flung themselves out of the car and sprinted into the police station. One of the officers stood up at their abrupt entry, about to shout and ask them what they were doing, but the sharp cry of a little girl smothered in a large navy coat cut him off. 

“DADDY!!” Rini slid out of the chair and ran to Kageyama who was already on the floor ready to receive her. When Kageyama felt his daughter back in his arms he wouldn’t have been able to stop the sobs wracking his body if he tried. Rini clung to him, the little girl was hysterical, tears and snot running down her face as she attempted to burrow deeper into her father’s arms. 

Oikawa had sunk down on the floor next to them and wrapped his arms around both the Kageyamas. All of the other figures in the room stood silently as they watched the reunion with soft smiles on their faces. 

Kageyama clutched his daughter to his chest, peppering every inch of skin he could reach with soft kisses, and an endless chant of _“I’m so sorry”_ fell from his lips. He tried to memorize the way she felt in his arms, swearing that he would never take a single second with her for granted again. 

It was a long time before their pained sobs turned into soft whimpers and sniffles. Overcome by exhaustion due to trauma of the past 2 days, Rini passed out in Kageyama’s arms, her tiny body finally feeling safe enough to relax. Kageyama’s eyes fell down to finally take a good look at his daughter and he immediately noticed something was wrong. 

Her silky black hair no longer reached down to the middle of her back, instead it was roughly chopped to right above her shoulders, certain chunks shorter than others. 

“Hey why don’t we move into my office. I have a futon you can lay her down on and we can talk about what happened.” Kuroo had wandered over to the group, making sure to keep his voice soft so that he didn’t wake the little girl. His eyes sagged with fatigue, he had worked himself to the bone in order to bring Rini back home. Kageyama nodded softly and gently scooped his daughter into his arms and followed Kuroo to his office, Oikawa, Hinata, and Iwaizumi close behind. He hadn’t even noticed the latter 2 had joined them inside until he saw them enter the office behind him. 

Kageyama set Rini’s sleeping form down on the shabby futon, tenderly wrapping one of Kuroo’s sweaters around her. He perched himself next to her, refusing to leave her side now that she was safe within his sight once again. Oikawa sunk down to the floor by Kageyama’s legs, resting his head against the father’s knees while one hand reached out and loosely wrapped itself around one of Rini’s ankles, like if he didn’t touch her she would vanish again. 

Hinata and Iwaizumi settled themselves in the chairs across from Kuroo’s desk, while the police officer slumped into his tattered leather desk chair. Now that the grief of Rini’s absence and the relief of her return had subsided, Kageyama found a dark and burning rage pump through his veins. He wanted to know who dared to take his daughter from him, to put her through so much trauma and cause his family so much pain. 

“An old man at a train station recognized Rini. He owns a convenience store a few blocks away from the Crow’s Nest and recognized her from the poster you hung up in his store….it was...it was Umi. She was trying to get on the earliest train to Tokyo. She cut off all Rini’s hair and had her dressed in boys clothes to try and keep her from getting recognized. The man called us and we stopped the train from leaving. Umi is in custody and is being charged with child abduction.”

Kageyama stared blankly at the police officer. It felt like the world had stopped turning and his brain had turned to static. Everyone in the room was silent as they digested what Kuroo had said. Kageyama remembered Umi’s words to him as she was dragged out of the courtroom, he had been so distraught with worry for his daughter that the idea of Umi being involved had never even crossed his mind. Now that he was hearing Kuroo say that the woman was the one who kidnapped Rini he was shocked that he didn’t immediately know that it had been her. 

“She paid some young kids from a local gang to destroy the front of the building and distract you so she could sneak in and take Rini. Her plan was to take Rini to Tokyo and then they were going to take a boat to China. We are tracking down her accomplices now and will be charging them as well.” 

China? Kageyama’s mind was reeling with each piece of new information. Not only did Umi kidnap Rini, but she had put together a plan to make them disappear so that Kageyama never saw his daughter again. Panic swelled in his chest as he looked down at the sleeping girl, if Umi had succeeded in her plan then she would have been gone forever. 

Kageyama felt a whirlwind of emotions and it was a war in his chest for one to take control. He wanted to feel enraged, he wanted to demand to know where Umi was being held so he could scream and unleash over 7 years of hatred on her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. All he wanted to do was take his daughter home and do everything in his power to make her feel safe and secure again. Ever since Umi had walked back into their life he had been overcome with anxiety and fear, and after weeks of constantly being one edge he couldn’t find the energy to be outraged. 

“She’s in custody?” Kuroo nodded his head. 

“Yea. She’s going away for at least a few years, and I’ve already pushed the paperwork for restraining orders for both you and Rini through. If that woman even thinks about being in the same city as you she’ll be locked right back up.” Kageyama breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t know how effective a piece of paper would be at keeping Umi away but it did provide him some assurance. 

“Thank you Kuroo...thank you for bringing her home safe. Thank you for being there...I will never be able to repay you.” A lazy smile fell across the police officer’s lips.

“Once all this blows over and Rini feels comfortable you can take me out for a beer. Now take that baby home and get some rest, god knows you all need it.” Kageyama gave the other man a tiny exhausted smile. There was nothing else in the world he would rather do.

~~~

To say that the following weeks after Rini returned home were rocky would be a drastic understatement. Kageyama knew that the trauma would have a lasting impact on his daughter, and it pained him to see her struggling to cope. She refused to leave his side, clinging to his pant leg or snuggled in his lap every waking moment, and pressed into his chest every night. At first if Kageyama left her sight for even a second she would go hysterical, but over time she was able to remain calm if Oikawa was present but only for short periods of time. 

At night she barely slept, constantly being woken by nightmares and crying for him in her sleep. It pained him to hear her soft whimpers and he tried to shield her from the darkness by holding her securely in his arms, constant murmurs of assurance reminding her that she was not alone. 

Shimizu put him in touch with a child’s psychiatrist and he began to schedule Rini for an appointment every week. The older woman radiated an aura of kindness and started helping the 6 year old navigate her feelings and begin to deal with her trauma. 

Hinata had put together a special homeschool program for Rini so the little girl didn’t fall behind her peers but could still stay at home where she felt safe. The teacher came by almost every night to work with her on her lessons and activities while Kageyama observed from the couch. It was during those quiet moments when he watched Hinata and Rini laugh and play together that he was _almost_ able to forget that Umi had ever reentered their lives. 

The progress was slow but eventually Rini began to revert back to her bubbly and happy self. Kageyama never wanted to push her and took every good day and bad day in stride, but was relieved when the former began to outnumber the latter. Gradually, they were able to return to some semblance of normal. 

One day after her nightly lesson with Hinata, Kageyama got the girl ready and tucked her into bed (still not her own but she was able to fall asleep without him there now), and then joined the teacher out on the couch. He sunk into the worn cushions with a tired sigh that Hinata echoed. The silence between them was warm, they were enjoying their first moment alone together in months.

“Thank you again...for going through all this trouble.” Hinata worked all day at the school and then came here and used his precious free time to do it all over again, and the entire time his cheerful smile never left his face. Hinata linked his arms around Kageyama’s bicep and snuggled into his side, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder as he rested his head there.

“How many times do I have to tell you Yamayama that I want to do this? That I love doing this and after everything you both have gone through it's the least I can do. Even if we weren’t dating I would still do this for her. Rini is one of my students and I will always be there when they need me.” Kageyama buried his face in Hinata’s hair and placed a kiss to the crown of his head, getting lost in the other man’s presence as he was overwhelmed with the warmth that spread throughout his chest. 

Even though the past few months had been some of the hardest and worst of his life, he not only managed to survive it all in one piece but grew more whole in the process. It had been horrible. It was dark, messy, terrifying, and there were multiple times when he thought he was finally going to be swept away by the storm, but now as he sat here he didn’t think his life could get more perfect. Yes, there was still a lot of work to do, both he and Rini had a lot of healing to do, but they had made it over the mountain and were finally able to enjoy the view from the summit. 

Kageyama turned so that he was facing Hinata and he gently captured the other man’s lips with his own. The kiss was soft and Kageyama tried to pour everything he couldn’t find the words to say into each slide of their lips, hoping Hinata would be able to understand him. The teacher wrapped his arms around Kageyama’s neck, hands lazily playing with the hairs at the base of his neck. The soft scrape of nails against his skin made Kageyama’s chest rumble and he nipped softly at Hinata’s lower lip, greedily swallowing up the soft gasp that escaped the teacher. 

The languid pace of their kiss slowly heated up and with a soft tug Kageyama pulled Hinata so the other man was straddling him. He didn’t know where this was going or what he wanted but he did know that he trusted Hinata and that he would always be safe in the other man’s arms. 

Finally, they pulled away gasping for air. The sight of Hinata’s kiss swollen lips and lust blown eyes made a heat pool in Kageyama’s gut and he felt a hunger that had been absent from his life for years. Hinata’s hands were still in his hair and his fingers gripped him a little tighter as Kageyama trailed a series of soft wet kisses and gentle nips down the milky white skin of his neck. 

“‘Yama.” Hinata whimpered his name as Kageyama began to suck the smooth skin at the base of his neck, and the raven haired man groaned. He wanted to hear Hinata chant his name in that same breathless tone. Broad hands moved from slender hips and up the back of Hinata’s shirt, eagerly mapping out every inch of skin. Kageyama wanted to feel it all, taste it all, he wanted everything Hinata had to offer. 

Hinata pulled his head back up and when their lips met again there was no trace of the sleepy pace they had originally started out with. Kageyama drank up every whimper and moan that left Hinata’s lips like he was a dying man in the desert and the redhead was an oasis. He felt himself strain uncomfortably in his jeans and when Hinata took his lower lip and _sucked_ , Kageyama couldn’t help his gravelly groan and wild buck of his hips. 

The brief moment of friction did little to relieve his ache, and instead increased it tenfold when he felt a similar hardness between Hinata’s legs. It felt like fire was pumping through his veins and every drag of Hinata’s fingers left sizzling burns across his skin. Kageyama quickly became addicted to the feeling and found himself drunk on the warmth that enveloped him. He didn’t care if he got blinded by the sun, he knew that he would never be able to go back to the cold darkness of a life without Hinata’s touch. 

“Wait wait Kageyama.” Hinata breathlessly pulled away from him and Kageyama whined, leaning forward and chasing the contact. 

“What do you want right now? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or for you to feel obligated to do something.” Hinata looked thoroughly ravished, hair askew, lips swollen and slick, a fresh purple hickey blooming at the base of his neck, but above everything else he put Kageyama first. The raven haired man knew that if he protested at any point then all of this would stop in an instant, and Hinata would never hold it against him. 

Kageyama found himself overwhelmed with his affection for the other man and pulled him forward so that their chests were flush against each other, foreheads pressed together. Round doe eyes searched Kageyama’s navy ones for any trace of hesitance or fear.

“I trust you.” Kageyama didn’t know how it happened, but somehow Hinata had vaulted over all of the walls he used to protect himself and with gentle hands slowly put back together every piece of his broken heart. Just like when he first held Rini in his arms, Kageyama found himself overcome with love for the man in his lap, but it was a different kind of love obviously. The love he felt for Hinata was a warmth that enveloped his entire body, it was pleasant and safe, but the underlying heat made his skin itch and yearn for a burn that made him feel alive. He was hopelessly and utterly in love and there was no better feeling in the world. 

Those words seemed to be the magic key that released the last bit of tension in Hinata’s shoulders because the other man fell forward and kissed Kageyama with the intensity of the summer sun. 

Kageyama desperately tried to keep up with the feverish pace set by the other man, but each roll of Hinata’s hips against his caused him to stall. The pleasure knocked the breath out of his lungs and he wasn’t sure he knew his name anymore. 

“H-Hinata _please_.” The desperate and needy whine should have made him flush crimson but he was so overwhelmed by desire he couldn’t find the will to care.

“Shhh I’ve got you ‘Yama. I’ve got you.” Hinata pressed a chaste kiss to the side of his lips and moved his hands down to the button of Kageyama’s pants. Deft hands quickly flipped open the front of his jeans and snaked under the fabric, the touch made Kageyama see stars. The feeling of Hinata wrapping his fingers around him caused Kageyama to fling his head back, desperately biting down on his lower lip to muffle his moan. 

Hinata pulled him out of his pants and then moved his hands off Kageyama to fumble with the front of his own jeans. The redhead leaned forward to swallow the sob that wrenched its way out of Kageyama at the loss of contact. 

“I’m gonna make you feel so good. I promise Kags.” Once Hinata had freed himself from his pants, he moved forward and wrapped a single hand around both of them. The delicious friction of his dry hand moving against their skin made electricity crawl through his veins.

The steady leak of pre-come from both of their tips aided Hinata in his steady pumping, and the living room was filled with their harsh ragged breathing and the slick sound of skin on skin. The heat burning in Kageyama’s gut swallowed him whole, it melted his brain and consumed every thought in his mind. It took everything he had to force ragged gulps of air down his lungs, and his iron grip on Hinata’s hips was the only thing tethering him to the mortal plane of existence. 

Hinata used his free hand and pried one of Kageyama’s hands off of him and wrapped it around the one feverishly pumping against them. 

“You too ‘Yama. Wanna...do..this..t-together.” Kageyama wasn’t sure where one body ended and the other began, his mind was solely focused on where they were joined together and the feeling of Hinata against him. 

Greedily he reached out and caught Hinata’s lips with his own, desperate to feel the other man against him in as many ways as possible. His blood was boiling in his veins and the fire in his stomach burned white hot as he finally tipped over the edge and found release. 

Kageyama’s orgasm ripped him apart from the seams and he was pretty sure he felt his soul leave his body. His vision went white and after an eternity he came back down to earth. 

Hinata slumped against him, head resting in the crook of Kageyama’s neck. They both sat there in silence, chests heaving as they came down from their climaxes. It took all of Kageyama’s will power to force his arms up off the couch and around Hinata’s waist, ignoring the mess between them and pulling the redhead close. 

Hinata sunk into the contact and snuggled against Kageyama’s chest, pressing a few tender kisses along the underside of his jaw. 

“Good?” Kageyama let out a snort and rolled his eyes.

“I’m pretty sure I saw God.” Hinata let out a breathless giggle and Kageyama clutched the other man tighter. 

“Stay the night.” 

Hinata sat up and looked at Kageyama with a bewildered expression. 

“Are you sure?” The idea of letting Hinata go made Kageyama’s chest ache. He knew it was fast and that he was still hesitant and uncertain about a lot of things, but he also knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to fall asleep with Hinata in his arms and wake up to warm lazy kisses as the sun rose. 

“Yes. Please don’t go.” Hinata’s eyes softened and he pulled Kageyama in for a short and tender kiss. 

“Okay.” 

They rinsed off in the second bathroom, and Kageyama had to admit he felt a bit dirty as he cleaned their shared cum off his stomach with Princess Elsa wash cloth. They tiptoed into Kageyama’s room, each creak of the floorboards had them frozen, watching the slumbering 6 year old for any signs of movement. 

The sight of Hinata dressed in one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxers did things to Kageyama, and he filed that discovery away for the future, settling for a drawn out kiss in the closet for now. Finally they crawled into bed, Rini on Kageyama’s left and Hinata tucked against his right.

If you would have told him 7 years ago that he would be here, snuggled in bed with his daughter and the love of his life, happier than he’s ever been, he wouldn’t have believed you. He would have told you that he would never have that type of happiness, that people like him weren’t destined for that kind of life. But here he was, Hinata’s head was pillowed on his chest and Rini’s tiny hand had reached out and weakly clutched the dark blue fabric of his t-shirt. 

Hinata looked up at him and a sleepy smile spread across his face. Kageyama took in every detail of this moment, searing the image of the 2 people he loved most in the world into his mind because later on in life if someone asked him what his happiest memory was he would tell them about this very moment. 

Kageyama leaned down and pressed his lips against Hinata’s, just wanting to feel the other man against him to remind himself that this was in fact real and not some perfect dream. They parted after a few seconds but Kageyama stayed close, looking deep into the warm and tender gaze Hinata was giving him. 

“I love you.” 

Maybe in the future Kageyama would have to tell the person that he had 2 memories that were his happiest because the way Hinata’ eyes lit up at the confession made Kageyama redefine his definition of happiness, and he rebuilt his entire world around it and vowed to do everything in his power to make sure that sparkle never left Hinata’s eyes. 

In the morning the sun would rise, the rest of the world would wake around them, and responsibilities would force them out of bed. But right now in this moment the world only consisted of the 2 of them as they traded tender kisses and hushed confessions. Tomorrow would come and with it there would be a new set of challenges and struggles, but Kageyama no longer feared the hazy fog of the future because no matter what happened he would never be alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter! I hope you all can forgive me for what I did last chapter. Thank you to everyone who leaves a kudos or a comment. They really do mean a lot to me <3


	13. Home Is With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rini's first ballet recital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a super short chapter that is set one year after chapter 12. This is the end of the story and all that is left is the epilogue.  
> I want to thank you all SO MUCH for all of your continued support. This story got so much more attention than I thought it would and you guys have been amazing. There is no way I would have been able to finish this without all of your encouragement. You are all wonderful and every word of this fic is dedicated to all of you <3 
> 
> Thank you for staying and reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter <3

**_~One Year Later!~_ **

The small studio was already crowded and became obnoxiously so when the 9 men crammed themselves into the space. Outside the cold December wind chilled you to the bone but the dance studio was warm with nervous excitement. 

Kageyama followed close behind Hinata to the row marked off with their name. Tonight was Rini’s first ballet recital and the entire staff had come to show their support. Oikawa even went out and bought a fancy video camera so he could capture every second of their little Gum Drop Fairy’s performance. 

Rini had been practicing for tonight during every second of her free time. Kageyama loved to watch her scrunch her nose and bite her lip as she wobbled through her jetes and plies. Every morning she would ask to look at her costume, big blue eyes widening in wonder at the tiny snowflakes sewn into the shimmery purple fabric. 

“Kageyama? Hinata?” Kageyama looked up to see the worried face of Yamaguchi Tadashi at the end of the aisle. Yamaguchi was a good friend of Hinata’s and the beginners ballet instructor at the dance studio. Rini adored the freckled faced man and (much to Kageyama’s shagrin) often boasted that she was going to marry him one day. Hinata thought Rini’s first crush was adorable (Kageyama did not).

“What's wrong Tadashi? Is everything okay with Rini?” All eyes snapped up to look at the dance teacher at Hinata’s question. Things had been peaceful over the past year, but Kageyama couldn’t help the ice cold feeling of dread that settled in his gut when anyone even questioned his daughter’s wellbeing. 

“Everything is fine, just a little stage fright. Rini asked if I could come get you guys.” The air around them relaxed, both Kageyama and Hinata nodded and followed Yamaguchi to the back rooms where the children were getting ready. 

Rini had taken their relationship very well. She loved it when Hinata came and spent the nights with them and had on multiple occasions cried when he went to leave. This year she had a new teacher, Ennoshita Chikara, but she still sought out Hinata whenever she could. Kageyama loved to witness the tender moments between the 2 of them. His phone was full of silly candid pictures of them together, his current lock screen was them asleep on the couch, Rini curled up against Hinata’s chest with his arms wrapped protectively around her. Hinata had slid into their lives seamlessly, like he was always meant to be there. 

The back dressing room was full of the excited chatter of the dancers. Some of the older students were there helping the little girls with their hair and stage makeup. In the back corner sat a small raven haired girl who had curled herself into a tiny ball, head buried in her knees as she attempted to drown out the world around her. 

Kageyama knelt down in front of her and placed a soft hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles against her tense shoulders. 

“Hey Bunny, what's going on?” Watery blue eyes looked up at Kageyama and the flood gates were opened. The little girl threw her arms around her father and cried into his shoulder. He continued to pet her softly and cooed gentle words of encouragement until she calmed down enough to speak.

“W-what if I-I mess up and and and everyone i-is mad at me?” She stammered. Kageyama placed both hands on his daughter’s shoulders and tilted her chin up so she was looking him in the eyes.

“Bunny we are all so proud of you and even if you mess up we will all still be proud of you. You have worked so hard on this and I know you’re going to do a great job. You’re already way better than I could ever be.” His words of encouragement seemed to be working. Rini’s tears were reduced to sniffles and Hinata reached out with a tissue and dried the little girl's face off.

“R-really?”

“Really Bunny. Do you think Daddy could go out there in a tutu and spin around like you do?” A wide smile spread across Rini’s face at the image and she burst out into a fit of giggles. All traces of the frightened little girl from before were now gone. 

Hinata knelt down next to them and took one of Rini’s hands in his own. 

“This is a trick my mom would always do for me when I was scared. I want you to write the kanji for fear on my palm with your finger and while you write it I want you to think about everything you’re scared might happen on stage. Can you do that?” Rini nodded and slowly traced against Hinata’s outstretched hand (the teacher had to guide her through the strokes). Once she was done Hinata brought the palm up to his mouth and made dramatic chewing and swallowing noises.

“There I ate all of your fears. They’re all gone and inside me now so they can’t hurt you anymore. Do you feel better?” Rini flashed them another smile and nodded her head eagerly. She wrapped her arms around Hinata in a tight hug that he quickly reciprocated. Kageyama felt his heart swell at the interaction. Every time Kageyama swore he couldn’t be more in love with Hinata the other man did something like this, and he found himself falling for the teacher all over again. 

Now that the crisis had been averted the men left Rini in the capable hands of Yamaguchi and made their way back to their seats. Hinata flashed everyone a quick thumbs up to ease their worried glances. They all sat and chatted quietly for a few more moments before the lights dimmed signaling the start of the show. Yamaguchi walked across the stage dressed in his black tights and black leotard, messy brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail. Kageyama could have sworn he heard a soft  _ ‘woah’ _ from Tsukishima, but figured he must have been hearing things and focused his attention on the dance instructor. 

“Hello everyone and thank you for coming to Nekoma Dance Studio’s 27th annual Christmas ballet performance! Our students have been working hard to put on the best show possible for you all tonight and we hope that you will see their passion through their dances. Please enjoy the show!” The young man made his way off the small stage and was soon replaced by a group of the older students. 

Before Rini had started to take ballet, Kageyama knew nothing about dance and frankly he found it quite boring. Now that Rini was taking lessons...the statement still held true. He could appreciate the art a little more now, he knew how hard the students had worked and remained quiet and respectful throughout their performances, but man was he bored. He couldn’t help but let his eyes glaze over and his mind wander as he watched the other classes dance. 

About half way through the show an older student dressed in an intricate light purple tutu came out onto stage and behind her was a small group of little gumdrops. Oikawa’s squeal earned him a smack to the back of the head from Iwaizumi, but the brunette was too busy fumbling with his recorder to pay him any attention. 

Rini was 3rd in line and blue eyes were scanning the crowd for a familiar face. A brilliant smile spread across her lips when she saw them, and she brought a tiny palm up to her hand and made a biting and swallowing motion. Kageyama could see Hinata mimic the action out of the corner of his eye. 

The song started and the older student began expertly dancing across the stage, weaving her way through the little girls as they went through their own dance. Kageyama watched Rini easily flow through every motion she had shown him no less than a hundred times in their living room. His heart swelled with pride as she completed her last twirl and looked back out at them with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling under the stage lights. 

“Are you crying?” Hinata nudged him softly in the ribs, smiling. Kageyama quickly rubbed a palm against his eyes, scowling and looking the other way.

“I’m not crying dumbass…” 

“You might not be but this idiot is.” Iwaizumi deadpanned, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe away the tears streaming down Oikawa’s face. 

“Iwa-chan is just a brute who doesn’t understand art. Our Bunny is going to be a star one day.” The rest of the show crawled by at a snail's pace. Between 2 of the last acts Kageyama snuck out to the car and pulled the small bouquet of roses they had bought for Rini out of the trunk. When all the dancers came back onto stage for their final bow they all stood and cheered, surely deafening those around them with their enthusiastic celebration. 

After the recital ended they all waited in the lobby for the dancers to change and be dismissed. Rini ran up to their group and was promptly swept up into Tanaka’s arms and placed on his shoulders where she was showered in praise by the staff. Her first performance had been over for only 30 minutes and she was already excitedly telling them about how they would be doing Cinderella for the spring show. 

“Did you have a good time tonight Bunny?” Kageyama asked as he buckled the little girl into her car seat. He could see her eyes start to droop with sleep and predicted that she would be out like a light by the time they got home. 

“I had so much fun. Thank you for helping me when I was scared.” Kageyama smiled softly at his daughter. He brushed her bangs off her forehead and pressed a tender kiss there. Her hair had finally grown back to its former length and was still tucked into a neat bun on the top of her head. 

“I’ll always be there for you when you’re scared, Bunny. Daddy will always protect you.” 

“Will you always protect me too, Hinata?” The redhead looked back at the little girl from his place in the passenger seat.

“Of course.” Rini hummed happily in response. She leaned her head against the side of her carseat and closed her eyes.

“I love you Daddy. I love you Hinata.” Kageyama couldn’t help the small smile and rush of happiness he felt when he heard Hinata’s small gasp, while it was clear that Rini cared for the other man she had never told him she loved him before. 

“I love you too Rini.” The little girl was already sound asleep but that didn’t bother the redhead. It may have been the first time he said those words out loud but he had felt them long before now, and he knew he would spend the rest of his life saying them over and over again. 

Kageyama reached over the center console and intertwined his fingers with Hinata’s, bringing the smaller man’s hand up to his lips and placing a series of soft kisses against his knuckles. The redhead looked out the window as they pulled out of the studio’s parking lot, gently wiping away the tears that fell down his cheeks with a tender smile.  “Let's go  _ home _ Tobio.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! It is so bittersweet that this fic is coming to an end. The epilogue is going to be full of tooth rotting fluff so get ready! It will be set 10 years in the future so we will get to see Rini all grown up!


	14. Epilogue: I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama gets his happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I just posted chapter 13 but I had a lot of restless energy today and wanted to write this.
> 
> YOU GUYS ITS OVER! As I write this I feel a bit lost. I love this story and writing this for all of you and now it is all finished. Thank you so much to everyone who has stayed with me and supported me through all of this. I began this story during a rough and depressed time in my life and I am finishing it a completely different person. So much has changed since chapter 1 and I feel a bit like Kageyama, finally letting go of the things holding me back and I'm able to be excited about the future again. 
> 
> I really love this universe and plan on writing more about the other couples (and probably KageHina) in the future so please keep an eye out! I have also started to outline a new fic staring our boys that I am really excited about so there will be more from me in the near future! (cough cough I watched Given)
> 
> Thank you again for all of your support and I hope you enjoy this final chapter (I know I enjoyed writing it). <3

Kageyama always set his alarm for 30 minutes before he needed to be up. Those 30 minutes were the only time during the day that he could truly be alone with his thoughts. Sometimes he utilized it to take an extra long shower, other mornings he would sit and read the news, but today he just laid in bed trying not to think about the long day ahead of him. He focused on the warm rays of the sun kissing his skin and the soft chirping of the birds outside his window. 

Soon he heard the pitter-patter of feet across the hardwood floors and his door slammed open. He made no effort to move his arm from across his eyes to look at the figure that had just burst into his room. 

“Really old man?! You’re going to sleep in today of all days?!” Slowly he moved the arm off his eyes to meet the intense azure stare of the young woman standing next to his bed. Her raven hair was a tangled mess of bed head and both her hands were on her hips. Kageyama merely hummed in response and laid his arm back over his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips. 

He heard Rini move to the empty side of the bed and felt the mattress shift under her weight as she crawled on. For a few seconds the room was silent and then Kageyama felt a pillow wack across his face, the attack was brutal and Rini did not let up even when Kageyama surrendered. 

“Get. Up. And. Get. Ready!” She huffed, punctuating each word with a slam of the pillow against her father's face. Kageyama finally crawled out of bed and out of her reach, the girl’s response was to chuck the pillow at his head. They both smiled at each other, chests heaving from the early morning exercise, before they broke out into a fit of giggles. 

“Uncle Tooru is going to be pissed when he sees you’re not even showered yet.” And as if the girl’s words summoned him, they heard the front door open and close with a bang, the intruder having no regards for the early hour of the morning. 

“Tobio-chan you better be out of bed!” Oikawa sang as he made his way to the back bedroom. His gaze fell on the Kageyamas still dressed in their pajamas and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Bunny-chan I had no faith in your father but I had hoped you would have at least started getting ready.” Rini balked and pointed accusingly at Kageyama who was still sitting on the floor.

“You told me to make sure he was up! I’m just doing what you told me to do!” Oikawa waved dismissively at the young woman which caused her to huff and cross her arms, mimicking the signature Oikawa pout.

“Both of you need to get in the shower. Tobio-chan don’t even bother trying to style your hair, I will do it. Now move quickly! Today is the big day!” The Kageyamas followed Oikawa’s orders and went to their respective bathrooms to start getting ready. 

Kageyama sat under the warm spray, letting it wash away his drowsiness. After he was done and toweled dry, Oikawa came into the bathroom and began to help him dress.

“You would find some way to wrinkle everything. You’re just like Iwa-chan, such a brute.” The slacks and jacket were a dark charcoal grey with a matching vest and a crisp white button up underneath. His tie and pocket square were the only pops of color in his outfit, both were a deep jewel toned blue. 

Kageyama stopped and stared at himself in the mirror. He had filled out over the past decade, a little flabby in the middle but running in marathons kept him mostly fit. There were small creases around the corners of his eyes and mouth from years of laughter and smiles. Even though he was only in his mid 30’s there were a few silver hairs scattered throughout his head, all of which he blamed on Oikawa.

He knew that he should be nervous but he just felt an overwhelming sense of calm wash over him. This day had been in the making for 10 years, he knew he had nothing to be worried about. 

Oikawa came back into the bathroom dressed in a suit similar to Kageyama’s but instead of charcoal grey it was a lighter shade. The brunette flashed Kageyama a toothy smile. 

“How do you feel?” Kageyama’s eyes fell onto the slim silver band on Oikawa’s left hand. On his own wedding day Oikawa had been a mess and it took all of Kageyama’s will power not to strangle him, but seeing the way he and Iwaizumi held each other during their first dance made all the pain worth it. 5 years later and they still held each other the same way while they danced in the kitchen, swaying to the beat of their hearts.

“Ready.” They walked into the living room where Rini was waiting for them. She was dressed in a long lace dress that matched Kageyama’s tie in color. Her hair was intricately braided and pinned up and her makeup aged her a good 5 years. At 17 she had grown into a tall and beautiful young woman, a spitting image of Kageyama but she had inherited Oikawa’s personable charm and Hinata’s warm smile. This summer they had planned a family trip to Kyoto to visit a few colleges Rini was planning on applying to, one of the schools had the best dance programs in the country. 

Kageyama felt his breath get knocked out of his lungs at the sight of her. He knew one day too soon they would be doing this again but instead of blue her dress would be white. 

“You look beautiful Bunny.” Rini smiled tenderly at the old nickname and rolled her eyes, punching Kageyama softly in the shoulder.

“Don’t get all choked up now. We haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.” 

The 3 of them drove to the hotel downtown. It was nothing fancy but the ballroom was reasonably priced and had plenty of room for their guests to dance. Oikawa quickly ushered Kageyama and Rini into one of the dressing rooms attached to the ballroom. Inside was a small couch, TV, a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses, and a letter of congratulations from the hotel staff. As soon as they stepped inside there was a knock on the door.

“Who is it?!” Oikawa asked as he tried to swat Kageyama’s hands away from the bottle of whiskey. The raven haired man scowled and roughly shoved him away, taking a defiant swig from the bottle. 

“It’s me, Daichi, and Kuroo. Open the door Shittykawa.”

“Animals. You’re all animals.” Oikawa whispered under his breath. The brunette opened the door for the other men who were all dressed in suits matching his own. Kuroo let out a delighted gasp when he saw Kageyama pouring whiskey and happily took a glass for himself. 

“How ya feelin’ lover boy? Also Ran is out in the ballroom if you want to go see her Rini.” The young woman happily took the opportunity to excuse herself from the overwhelming amount of testosterone in the room and went to find her best friend. Kuroo drained his glass in one large gulp and Kageyama quickly took it out of his hands.

“Nope. We are not having a repeat of your wedding.” On his wedding day Kuroo had been so overcome with nerves that he got plastered at the ripe hour of 10:00am. Kageyama had to make an emergency run to get the greasiest hamburger and fries he could find while Bokuto forced Kuroo to chug his weight in water. Miraculously, they managed to get him sobered up before the ceremony and they all agreed to take that morning to their graves. 

“You seem very calm Kags. I figured you would be an anxious mess.” If this had happened 8-9 years ago Daichi’s words would have been very true, but Kageyama had grown leaps and bounds over the past decade. 

“Like you were at your wedding?” Kageyama teased. The night before his wedding Daichi didn’t sleep at all and the next day could barely utter a word because he was so overcome with anxiety. Suga had to sit outside the door and talk him off the edge (and Oikawa may or may not have snuck him a shot of tequila. Just enough to loosen him up a bit). Once Daichi saw Suga waiting for him at the end of the aisle though all of his worries faded away and he realized he was an idiot to be scared of the best moment of his life. 

“Ok but we can all agree that I wasn’t as bad as Yamaguchi at his and Tsukishima’s wedding.” All 5 of the men laughed and nodded in agreement. Kageyama was sure no one could ever be more anxious than Yamaguchi was at his wedding. At one point they had to physically restrain the man to keep him from attempting to escape to the bathroom a few moments before he was supposed to walk down the aisle. Much to everyone’s shock it was Tsukki who ended up having one too many at the reception, and now at every gathering the videos of him giving a very flustered Yamaguchi a lap dance were always circulated around. Tsukishima vowed to poison them all one day. 

“I’m fine guys. I’m not nervous. This has been a long time coming.” It was hard for him to believe that 10 years had gone by. During that time he watched Rini transform from a giggling little girl into the strong confident young woman she was today. Their business grew and Oikawa and Iwaizumi even opened a second location (though Oikawa still made sure to come back and bother him frequently). Tsukishima had left and started his own restaurant, poaching Asahi and allowing the other man to run the front of the house. Noya had been promoted to head chef and (much to everyone's surprise) handled the responsibility well and the restaurant was still thriving. Daichi had taken over Oikawa’s position at the Crow’s Nest and had fallen into the leadership role seamlessly. 

“Tobio, it's time.” The playful banter between them stopped and was replaced with more serious silence. Kageyama finished off the last of his drink and rolled his shoulders. He had been ready for this for a long time. 

“Let’s go.” 

They walked out into the ballroom where 2 sets of chairs had been evenly arranged, split by a narrow black carpet. The decorations were minimal. When looking back at today they wouldn’t remember the color of the flowers or the way the lights twinkled, they would remember the smiles they shared and the words they said.

Most of the chairs were already filled by their guests. It was a small group of people but every person there had become family in some way or another. Akaashi, Bokuto, and Kenma all sat together with their children on either side of them. Tsukishima sat in the front row with the other staff members. 2 women with bright orange hair sat adjacent to them on the other side of the aisle. Shimizu and Ushijima sat together towards the back, each offering Kageyama small smiles when he walked past. 

Kageyama took his place in front of all of them. Rini, Oikawa, and Kuroo all stood to his right while Daichi stood to his left. On the other side Suga, Yamaguchi, and Yachi all stood with bright smiles. Suga and Yamaguchi were dressed in suits matching Oikawa’s, and Yachi wore a dress identical to Rini’s. 

Kageyama fidgeted with his cufflinks while he waited. He felt the slight tingle of nervous excitement in the pit of his stomach. Finally, soft music began to play from the speakers in the room and a hush fell over the crowd. Kageyama heard the sound of the doors opening but he didn’t look up from the floor. He closed his eyes and took one last selfish breath before raising his head, navy eyes gazing at the figure who had just entered the room.

Hinata stood at the other end of the aisle. He was dressed in a suit that was the opposite of Kageyama’s, the majority of it being dark blue in color with charcoal grey accents. When their eyes met Kageyama was sure that the world stopped spinning and the universe recentered itself around Hinata’s warm smile. 

It was the same smile he had woken up next to for the past 10 years. The same eyes that caused him to melt with a single look. It was still Hinata, just dressed in a suit, but it was completely different all at the same time. 

They shared small breathless smiles when Hinata finally made it down the aisle and joined Kageyama. For a few precious moments it was just the 2 of them lost in their own little world. Daichi cleared his throat and gathered everyone’s attention to the front. 

“We have all come here today to celebrate the marriage of Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou. I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s about damn time.” There was a soft wave of laughter that rolled through the crowd.

“Even though you are getting married today the love between you is anything but new. For the past 10 years you have been together we have all watched your bond grow and blossom in spite of hardship and tragedy. You set an example for us all, showing us what true love looks like, and we are honored to be standing by your sides today. And even though I am speaking for all of us here, I know my words are not the most important of the day. Kageyama.” 

The serene calm feeling that he had earlier was now gone, replaced with butterflies and jittery nerves. 

“I...you know I’m not very good with words.” This earned him a roll of the eyes and a nod from Hinata. “And these words are nothing new, but I love you Shou. I have been completely and hopelessly in love with you for the past 10 years and I know I will be for the rest of our lives. You came to me at one of the worst times in my life...and even though no one would have blamed you for running you stayed by my side through all of it. Together we have built a home, raised the most beautiful young woman in the world, and created a life I once thought was impossible.” 

Kageyama wasn’t ashamed of the tears that rolled down his cheeks. He would never be embarrassed by his love for Hinata and the life they had built together. 

“I know I’ve said it a million times but thank you...Thank you for saving me. For picking up the broken pieces and putting me back together again. Thank you for helping me grow and find love. Thank you for being the sun that finally broke through the rain clouds.” 

Kageyama could hear several sniffles from those around him but he was too focused on the way Hinata was looking at him, his gaze overflowing with love and happiness, to see who was crying. The redhead wiped his eyes with his sleeve and let out a soft chuckle, his voice thick with emotion. 

“Wow ‘Yama I didn’t know you knew so many words.” There was another soft rumble of laughter from the guests.

“Before I met you I felt like I was drifting through life, allowing the wind to blow me in any direction. I loved my job and my friends but I didn’t have someplace that felt like  _ home _ . And then one day I met the hot single dad of one of my students who asked me out in the bathroom of an aquarium.” Kageyama couldn’t help but blush softly at the memory. “Since the beginning things have just felt right with you. I was still floating in the wind but you gave me wings and I was able to fly…and no matter where I am I promise that I will always fly back to you. You have given me a home, a family, a daughter, and a lifetime of happiness and love. And even though things haven’t always been easy, I know that as long as we are together we are invincible. I love you Tobio and I promise to love you for the rest of my life.”

It felt like everything that had happened over the past 10 years was building up for this very moment. The 2 of them standing together, sharing and celebrating their love with their families, it felt like the last piece was finally clicking into place. They knew that the silver and gold rings they slipped on each other’s fingers weren’t going to amplify or change their love, but Kageyama couldn’t deny the thrill of seeing the gold band on Hinata’s hand. 

“Hinata, do you wish to take Kageyama as your husband? To love him in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

“Kageyama, do you wish to take Hinata as your husband? To love him in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live?”

Kageyama saw the last decade flash before his eyes. He relived the hard days, the fights and the tears, the nights where he slept alone and told himself it had all been too good to be true. But for every bad memory there were 10 good ones. Waking up to sleepy smiles and tender kisses. The day Rini asked if she could call Hinata Papa, and how the redhead cried tears of happiness for weeks at the new name. An endless stream of holidays and celebrations spent together as a family, with cheesy postcards and scrapbooks as evidence. 

The years before Hinata seemed like memories from another life, and the pain he thought would never leave him was now a faded scar. Once upon a time he thought he would never love again but now he stood hand in hand with the man who had burst into his life and single handedly changed everything. Throughout most of their relationship Kageyama had doubted himself, he worried that he wasn’t good enough or that he would somehow ruin everything they shared, but in this moment he had never been more sure.

“I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/a_very_smolfrog) for updates on other fics, haikyuu brain rot, and other shenanigans.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/a_very_smolfrog) for updates on fics, haikyuu brain rot, and other shenanigans.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Standing on a stage](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29101290) by [Kotro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kotro/pseuds/Kotro)




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